Fallen Angel
by Chel88
Summary: Emmett. Jasper. Edward. She was broken and scarred; Loved and left behind. Despite all that, she would still push him. Push him with everything she had. She would give all three a sense of family, love and most importantly, humanity and acceptance.
1. Prologue

"_Are you afraid?"_

"_What is there to be afraid of? You don't scare me one bit…"_

"_Foolish girl, I can sense your fear…no one can know what we did my sweet angel…I'm afraid that leaves me with only one choice."_

"_What? Why are you looking at me like that? How do you know what I'm feeling?"_

"_You've already asked too many questions…now, lay completely still. I will make this as quick as possible."_

~ "No please don't!" I scream out, sitting up in my bed. I realize now that this was just a dream. A dream that was once a reality. A dream that haunts me all the time. More so around this time of year. I lean towards the door, and I do not hear anything. I smile slightly and lay back in the bed. I do not sleep…not by choice I assure you. Rather, I lay here every night just to think. I try to retain some normal aspects of my old life. A life that, if I had known what was to become of me, I would have never taken for granted….

If I could, I would go back to that night…and I sure as hell would've done things differently.

I was so distraught that day. The anniversary of a loved one's death tends to do that to people. And, I now know that he knew all of that.

He played off my emotions because he couldn't handle his own.

I never would've looked his way…never would've gone when he asked me to go with him.

When he whispered everything I had ever wanted to hear, I would've gotten up and ran away.

I wouldn't have let him take away my innocence…some guy I didn't even know.

If none of that happened, I would not be where I am now.

I would not be what I am now.

But, I am a fighter…my brother told me so once.

Who am I?

I am Elizabeth McCarty.

And this, this is my story…

**I know this was super short but, I want to see what people think before I get going with this story.**

**I'd Love to Continue it…**

**~Chel**


	2. The Beginning

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

Today is March 24th. And, as always, I am making the now three hour journey to the cemetery. Back to my hometown. A place I haven't lived since I was fifteen years old. As we approach the city, my mind becomes flooded with memories. Some of them are rather hazy but they're still there.

They say you're not supposed to remember a whole lot from when you were young…yea right.

_~February 9__th__, 1945~_

"_Elizabeth, please don't get your new dress dirty…" my mother had scolded me five times in the past hour. I wanted to go outside so bad. I wanted to go be with my older brother…he always got to do fun things while I had to sit inside and watch my mother cook and clean. _

_I remember her glancing at the clock every few minutes. Each time, her face getting more worried. She kept saying "He should be back by now…" _

_I knew she wasn't talking about my father. He always returned home after sunset. So, she must've been talking about my brother. _

_Another hour passed, no sign of him. My mother had been so preoccupied that she jumped when there was knock at the door. _

"_Mrs. McCarty…I'm we afraid we have some bad news." I clearly remember someone saying. My mother had gasped in terror as whoever was at the door handed her a piece of clothing. A shirt I think it was. A shirt that belonged to my brother. _

"_Where is my son?" she cried. _

"_There was no body at the scene…he could be anywhere. It seems that perhaps he was attacked by some type of animal.."_

I stop right there, shutting my eyes for a few seconds. My mother's painful cries and my father's feeble attempts to soothe her are not something I like to remember.

"So who are you coming all this way to see?" the driver of the car looks over at me, trying to make conversation with me. I'm in no mood but I answer him anyways.

"My brother…today is his birthday." I say and turn away from him, hinting that I don't want to talk about it anymore.

For two years they looked and found nothing…and so finally, on March 24th, 1947 they declared him officially dead.

Our family never recovered. It was like my brother was what held us all together.

Two months after that, my mother, consumed with grief and guilt, took her own life. She claimed that she "no longer had anything to live for." It something that remains in my mind even today. Like I didn't matter…like I didn't even exist anymore.

My father, not knowing what to do with me, left me in the care of our elderly neighbor. I never saw him again after that. I don't know what ever happened to him.

I lived here until I was fifteen. I stayed with our neighbor until she died three years later. I was basically an orphan after that. Left in the care of random strangers…never feeling at home. Always thinking about my brother. Every year, hoping he would come back to me…to rescue me.

He never came and I lost hope. Someone or something had taken him away from us and we never recovered from it.

Then, when I was fifteen, I was basically put out on my own. I moved to a small town, and got a job. And, for three years, I was alone. I worked, stayed with people when I could and prayed…prayed for something good to happen.

And then one night…_he _showed up in my life. Someone who was so beautiful…someone who knew exactly what to say to me in attempts to cheer me up that night. I thought this was it. My guardian angel had come down to save me….oh how wrong I was.

"This it?" a voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked out the window and nodded.

"Yes, thank you…" I smiled, handing him part of what little money I had. I turned towards the back seat, smiled and got out.

"I can wait…" he offered.

"No. It's okay…thank you again." I said and he was off, leaving me in the dust as I turned towards the small row of headstones. Every year, the line grew. People who disappeared and never were seen again. Or, those who couldn't afford a proper burial.

"Happy birthday big brother." I whisper, kneeling down to touch the grave gently. I traced my hand against the name and dates, my tearless sobs coming out slowly.

I just sit in the grass and think. It's what I do when I come out here. I often wonder if he can see me down here? Does he know what I have become?

I wish I knew him better.

"I was so young when we lost you…" I got cut off when I heard people approaching me.

"We've came all this way. Just give me a minute." A man's voice whispers but I can hear him.

"It's fine baby, I'm here with you." A female joins him and as they come closer, I stand, staring back at the two people approaching me. Even from a distance, I can clearly see their faces and then I freeze.

Who I see then shouldn't be standing there…there is no physical way! I stare at them as they come closer. They are staring at me now too. They are both very pale…both very beautiful.

I'm sure if I had the capability to hyperventilate, I would be at this very moment.

"Hello." The man says, looking down on me. "May I ask what you're doing here?" he smirks, but it's in more of a joking manner.

"I could ask you the same I guess." I shrug. "Because I've been coming here on this date…for the past…well for quite some time I assure you."

"You know him?" he looks down at the headstone.

"I did…" I look down quickly. "He was…" I look back up at them. How was I supposed to lie to him? There was no way…I would tell him the truth. If he believed me was up to him.

"He was my brother." I whisper and I quickly look back at the grave again…

_Emmet McCarty_

_~Loving Brother & Son…born March 24__th__, 1928…died March 24__th__, 1947~_

"You have some explaining to do." I whisper, looking up at the man…the man who is most definitely my brother.

"I could say the same thing…" but he is not angry…rather, he is happy? Before I know it, his huge arms are around me, lifting me up off the ground. When he sets me down and glances behind me and I tense.

"Who is this?" he raises an eye at me.

"A lot happened…" I bite my lower lip and he laughs. I've done that all my life when I'm scared.

"Don't be scared Lizzie, come one." He motions for me to follow him and the beautiful girl "there is a lot of catching up to be had."

**I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a little slow…but, I needed to tell some of Elizabeth's story before the next chapter…**

**The next one will be much better I promise…where everything starts coming together. **

**Review please!**


	3. The Truth

**I worked really hard on this chapter…I wanted to get a lot of things out in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it and please review!**

**Chapter 2: The Truth**

"_**Don't be scared Lizzie, come on…" he motions for me to follow him and the beautiful girl "there is a lot of catching up to be had."**_

I sat in the back seat, staring out the window, not saying a word as we drive along the roads. I don't know where we were going exactly. But, it definitely looked familiar. And then, when I noticed them pull into a long patch of road, my eyes widen in realization as to where we are now. We're back home…the home that we both grew up in.

"No one has lived here for years, we should be safe. No one knows we're here." The blonde woman turns to me and smiled.

When we reach the house, it is exactly how I remember it. Like nothing or no one has bothered coming here since everything happened.

"Come on, there's some people I want you to meet." My brother smiles at me as we all get out of the car and walk inside the house. There are more of them? Once inside, memories come from all areas of the house.

"Who is this?" another male voice calls out and I turn to look at who it is. It is another man, pale and beautiful as well. He reminds me of a father figure…and then, there's a woman standing beside him, a warm smile on her face. She reminds me of my mother.

"Carlisle, Esme, I want you to meet Elizabeth…my sister." I look at the two people, and after their faces hold initial shock, they both smile back at me, the woman coming over to embrace me.

"It's very nice to meet you sweetheart." Esme whispers gently to me and tells me to sit down.

Then, almost if on cue, everyone's attention seems to focus to below.

"Who is this?" Esme beams. I smile quickly, picking up the small child in my arms and sitting her on my lap.

"This is Lilly…my daughter." I look at them, not knowing how they were going to react.

"A daughter? Liz, how is that possible?" my brother shakes his head "I mean, let's not beat around the bush…clearly you are one of us…"

"It's a long story Emmett." I tell him "But, if you don't mind…can I hear yours first? There are so many unanswered questions in my mind and I'm hoping that you will answer them when you tell me your story." He nods and sits beside me on the couch.

"Where would you like me to begin?"

"How about the day you went missing…" I laughed. Where else is he supposed to start?

"Fair enough. Well, I don't remember all that happened that day but, I remember just being out and about, enjoying the day…when out of nowhere, this animal showed up. A bear no less. Next thing I knew, it was attacking me…I never stood a chance against it. I was barely breathing, the big creature over me, looking like it was about to kill me when suddenly, it disappeared. It disappeared and there was this beautiful blonde angel standing over me. She grabbed me in her arms and just started running…her running with me is the last thing I remember until I woke up in a new place, a new person I suppose you can say. It was then that they told me that Carlisle had changed me into a vampire. Surprisingly, I wasn't upset. I mean, if Carlisle and my personal angel were vampires, it didn't seem so bad to me in my mind. And well, now here I am…" he finished his story.

"And you never thought about coming back Emmett?" I frowned "it seems like you just accepted your life so easily. Forgetting about us…"

"I couldn't come back Liz. How could I explain to mom and dad what I was? I couldn't be around humans for a few years…it was too hard. I know it might be hard to believe but I truly did think about you all…all the time. So many times I started to come back here but, each time I stopped myself. It would be too hard on me to just simply look in on you guys. Especially you. You were so young when it all happened. I wanted to know for so long what happened to my little sister…"

"For two years Emmett. Two years they looked for you. Praying and hoping that you would come back to them. Even knowing simply what happened to you would have been enough. I may have been young but I remember it all. All the pain mom and dad endured, knowing that you had just disappeared…God only knowing what happened. It was all too much. And then one day, they just gave up searching for you…saying you were officially dead."

"What happened Liz? After those two years…" he looked at me. How was I supposed to tell him? There was no easy way to do it.

"Something inside of mom's head snapped I think. I was too young to know exactly. But, from what I remember…she got very depressed after it all. Life got too much for her so, about two months after they stopped searching, she took her life Emmett. She said she had nothing to live for anymore…" I stopped, suddenly growing very angry with my brother "she thought you were never coming back Emmett. And yet, all that time you were off somewhere, hanging out with some new family…never thinking what we were going through. EVERYTHING fell apart after you disappeared."

"She…she killed herself?" he said gently. "If I would've known…"

"You would've what?" I said harshly. Lilly sensed my anger and gently touched my hand. She was trying to help me. Such a special little girl…

"I don't know to be honest. What happened after? Did you and dad move away from here?" he looked around the house. It must've reminded him of our past life just as it did to me.

"No." I admitted "after mom died, he didn't know what to do with himself, let alone know how to be the father I needed. So, he left me with our neighbor. You remember her, the elderly woman…and I stayed with her for three years before she passed as well. After that, I lived with random families until I was fifteen…then, I was put out on my own. So, I moved…there was nothing left for me in this town anymore. I was alone…I thought maybe I could start fresh. There was even a silly part of me that thought you would just come back into my life, to rescue me from all this pain I was in…but, you never came. But one night, actually, on what would've been your 32nd birthday I believe, that's when everything changed. Literally I guess you can say." I looked around. I was actually nervous to tell this part of the story. I had never told anyone, there was never any need to tell anyone.

"Tell me Liz, I want to know what happened…I want to know how you are here right now, staring at me…" he joked.

"Okay.." I took a deep breath before I began.

_~March 24__th__, 1960~_

_I had worked all day at the diner. I needed the distraction not to mention the money (even though it wasn't very much). It had been a slow day and night. It was the middle week and that was expected. _

"_Elizabeth, perhaps you should get going home." Amanda, the waitress who I worked nights with suggested as we sat in the empty diner. _

"_No…it's fine." I lied. I didn't have anywhere to go to be honest "I'll hang around a few more hours." I shrugged, looking out the window as she went about her business. _

_Today was Emmett's birthday. I had wanted to go to the cemetery today but I didn't have enough money to catch a ride with anyone. So, I would have to go some other time I guess. I had been going every year since he died practically. Sometimes, I just wished he would walk through the doors, smiling and laughing as if this was all some big joke he had played on us. But, it wasn't s joke. Our parents were gone...I was alone, never knowing where I was going to go next. Something good had to happen eventually right?_

"_Elizabeth…" Amanda snapped me out of my thoughts quickly and I looked over at her. Her head was nodding behind her. I looked around her and saw a customer sitting at the counter…_

"_Help him…" she mumbled "I'm already taken." She laughed before nudging me down towards the stranger. I walked over and stood before him. _

"_Can I help you?" I asked nicely and the moment he raised his eyes to look at me, I thought I was going to faint. Never in my life had I seen anyone so beautiful. His eyes were such a warm, honey like color. He smiled and I unconsciously gripped onto the counter with one of my hands._

"_May I have a cup of coffee?" he opened his mouth and I just nodded, as if I had lost my voice. I poured it for him quickly and handed it over to him. "thank you…" he smiled._

"_Is that all you want? Maybe some dessert?" I offered. At least I had gotten my voice back. _

"_I'm quite alright…would you like to sit and keep me company?" _

"_Okay." I smiled; there was no one in the diner anyways. I sat on the opposite side of the counter from him._

"_So what brings you to these parts? You look like a big city person."_

"_I'm just passing though. Can I get your name please?" _

"_Elizabeth…" I stammered as he took my hand and kissed it. _

"_It's a pleasure to meet you Elizabeth. Let me ask you, what is a beautiful girl like you working in a diner in the middle of nowhere practically?"_

"_It's a long story. But, basically I'm on my own..I don't have anyone else. And well, here I am." I shrugged. _

"_What a shame…well Elizabeth, I was wondering if you would like to join me. I was planning on just walking around the town for awhile before I leave in the morning…no sense in you having to spend tonight alone right?" _

"_Well, I'd have to see if I could get off early." I laughed nervously. There was no one there…of course I could. _

"_Fantastic…I'll wait for you outside." He smiled once more and I was hooked. This was it. My personal angel had come down to save me. I quickly said goodbye to Amanda and rushed out there and true to his word, there he was. Leaning against the wall, offering his hand to me. And, I took it…thinking this perfect stranger would help me somehow. _

_We ended up walking around for hours. Mostly, I talked. He didn't say a lot about him…so I never knew his name or anything. At the time, I didn't care. _

"_Tell me Elizabeth, how old are you?" he asked when we had stopped to sit on a bench somewhere. There was no one around._

"_I just turned eighteen in January."_

"_Hm, such a beautiful girl…" his hand was placed on my face as he continued talking. "Have you ever slept with anyone Elizabeth?" he whispered in my ear and I tried to pull away but he kept me close to him. _

"_No…" I whispered, feeling a little scared._

"_Well, that's all about to change…" he smiled and next thing I knew, it had happened. I had let this complete stranger take away the one thing that was left of my innocence. It happened so quickly that I didn't have time to really process it all in my mind let alone enjoy it. _

"_Are you afraid?" he practically laughed as he finished putting his clothes on. _

"_Why would I be scared? You don't scare me one bit…" I lied. Even in the dark, I could tell that his eyes had taken on a different color. They were darker than earlier. Almost black. In an instant, he had grabbed my hand and pulled me across the street, to a dark alley way where no one would be able to see us. _

"_Foolish girl…I can sense your fear. No one can know what we did my sweet angel…" his breath was against my neck. "I'm afraid that leaves me with only one choice." He traced a finger down the side of my face until it was on the spot underneath my collar bone. _

"_What? Why are you looking at me like that? How do you know what I'm feeling?" I said, tears threatening to spill down my face. It was like a horrible nightmare that I just wouldn't wake up from. My angel had turned into someone horrible and terrifying. _

"_You've already asked too many questions…now, lay completely still. I will make this as quick as possible." Before I could respond with anything, he quickly lowered his head and I felt the most intense pain I had ever felt in my life searing through my body. I slowly slumped down to the ground as I felt the blood being drained from my body. Slowly it happened…I desperately tried to scream or push him away but I was already too weak. _

_And then, just when I thought he was done and I was about to die…he stopped! His head snapped back up, his eyes stared into my almost dead ones. He had a small line of blood coming down the side of his mouth. He quickly wiped it away and let me go. With no strength of my own, I fell to the ground, my eyes falling shut. With one quick glance, he turned and ran away in the blink of an eye. _

_He must've thought I was dead because I didn't move during all this. But, there was the smallest part of me that was still breathing. The pain was so intense . Then, it started happening. I could feel my breathing getting shallow as this fire like sensation flowed through my body. Then, slowly my heart started to slow down…I could hear it dying down until there was no beat left. How long I remained on that ground was beyond me. I just know that no one ever found me…because when I woke up, I was still in the same location…_

_When I got up and walked away, it was late at night and there was no one out in the streets thankfully. I passed by a store display and froze when I caught a glimpse of my reflection. I turned and looked again. The person staring at me sort of resembled of me…the same brown hair. But, my skin was paler…and my eyes…my eyes were this blood red color. After touching my face, my hands fell down to my sides. And then, it was then…then that I noticed that there was a small bump there underneath my battered sweater. _

_I gathered myself quickly before I ran. I ran and didn't stop until I was far, far away from where anyone could see me. Somewhere in the wilderness I suppose it was. _

_For the second time in my life, I was left alone. Alone, with red eyes and something growing inside of me. _

_~End Flashback~_

"Oh that's so terrible…who would do that to such a sweet girl?" Esme was the first one to react, her hand covering her mouth.

"Carlisle is that possible? For someone to be changed and still give birth to a child?" Emmett rubbed his forehead in confusion. Was Carlisle a doctor?

"Well, if she was pregnant before she changed…than I suppose that is what happened. Although, it's something I have never heard of."

"Is Lilly…one of us too?" my brother looked at me and then to my daughter.

"I think she may be half. I don't really know much about vampires…" I sighed "But, there are definite aspects of her that are like me. Well, the new me. But, she doesn't drink blood thank goodness."

"May I hold her?" the blonde woman was beside Emmett, looking down at me. I nodded and handed her to her. She so carefully took Lilly into her arms and cuddled her lovingly.

"She is such a beautiful little girl. She has your guys' dark, curly hair." She smiled.

"Liz…I don't think you and Rosalie have properly met. Rosalie is my wife…she is the one who found me that day I was attacked. And she brought me to Carlisle. We live with him and Esme, along with our brothers and sister."

"You're married Emmett?" I smiled. That was great news. And Rosalie was quite the perfect match for my brother.

"Yes, yes I am. Now dear sister, I would like to invite you to come with us back home. I think the rest of the family will love you." He beamed. I stalled for a few moments.

"I don't know Emmett." I joked with him "I'm only kidding Emmett…I would love to meet the rest of your family. That is, if you guys don't mind me and my daughter coming along?"

"Of course not…I already consider you a daughter Elizabeth." Esme stood and wrapped her arms around me.

"A daughter?" I whispered "that's something I haven't been in a long time."

"Great, then it's settled. Shall we get going now?" Carlisle clapped his hands and stood with the rest of us.

"Are you a fast runner Lizzie?" my brother joked. I punched his shoulder lightly.

"I think I am. I don't usually run a lot…only when I eat I guess. But, Lilly, she can't really run yet." I looked over at her, she was playing with Rosalie.

"She can hang on to me…I won't let her fall off." My brother assured me.

"I trust you Emmett." I smiled.

"Good, now let's get back…" we all headed out the door.

This was quite the foreign experience for me…I had never been around a group of vampires before. For the first time, I could be myself. I didn't have to hide it from anyone.

"When we get there, can we talk more about being a vampire? I honestly don't know a whole lot about it…I've been dealing with it sort of on my own for the past three years."

"Of course Elizabeth. Anything we can help you with…we will do it."

And then, we were off. I had never had so much running before. I ran beside Emmett and Lilly the entire time. She seemed to be enjoying it very much, laughing every time Emmett jumped up or did something else funny.

We reached where they lived in a matter of a few hours. It was such a majestic home. It took my breath away. Figuratively of course.

"Such a beautiful house…" I said as we stood in front of it for a few moments. Emmett was holding Lilly in his arms. It was a little scary, seeing him hold with his huge arms but, he was being ever so gentle with her. Even at three years old, she was still rather small…she could pass for a two year old.

"Are you ready?" I nodded and we walked in. Carlisle called people to meet him in the living room. Two people came down the stairs…and, before I could look up and see their faces, a strangely familiar smell flooded my senses. It had been a few years but I would forever remember that scent. So sweet and intoxicating…

"YOU!" I hissed, lunging at the person when they reached the bottom of the stair case, slamming them into the wall, causing something to fall and crack. I didn't care…all I saw was those eyes...

Those warm, honey colored eyes….and that smile…

"Don't you dare smile at me…" I grabbed hold of his neck and pressed him tightly against the wall. He didn't struggle with me and that infuriated me even more.

"Elizabeth what are you doing…" Emmett said calmly, trying to pull me away from him but I wouldn't move.

"This is him…" I answered.

"Him who?" he asked confused.

"HIM!" I yelled and he finally got the point. He roughly pulled me away from him and pushed me away. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie take Lilly to another part of the house.

"You're the one who changed her??" my brother hissed "you did this to her…you tried to kill her. Oh I swear to God I will kill you myself for this…"

I tried to move but I felt a pair of arms wrap around it. It felt like someone was hugging me but they were really trying to restrain me.

"Don't move…" a voice whispered in my ear and I felt this suddenly feeling of calmness come over me as I stood there.

"Can you all just stop for five seconds…I think Edward deserves a chance to explain himself." A female voice spoke and I looked over at her. She was the one who had come down the stairs with _him. _I stared at her more and I let a small snarl escape my lips when I saw she was wearing a wedding ring.

"You son of a…." I screamed, trying to move out of this persons grip "you're married! You're married and you got me pregnant!" I yelled and everyone stopped, well besides Emmett and turned towards me. The arms that were holding me dropped and the girl stared at me.

"I did no such thing." He…I mean Edward spoke.

"Maybe you should explain." The voice from behind me spoke again and I turned to look at him.

And, for the briefest second, I felt something odd happening on the inside as his eyes locked with mine.

"Rosalie, can you please come back in here?" I called to her and the moment she walked in the room with my daughter in her arms…there were audible gasps.

Things were about to get very complicated….more so than they already were.

**What did you guys think?? Please let me know…and I'm always welcome to suggestions for future chapters!**


	4. NonBeliever

_A/N: There are a few things I think I should mention before this chapter._

_1) As much as I like Alice, she has a slightly different role in this story then she normally does. 2) Bella & Edward have a different story as well. Not too different though. And finally 3) It's currently 1963 in the story. I didn't want people to be confused with all the flashbacks and what not._

_Okay, I hope you guys enjoy it!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Non-Believer**

"_Rosalie, can you please come back in here?" I called to her and the moment she walked in the room with my daughter in her arms…there were audible gasps. Things were about to get very complicated…more so than they already were. _

_~Edward's POV~_

The moment I walked down the stairs and I saw _her, _my mind froze. No! This was impossible. She shouldn't be here. She is supposed to be dead. No one was to never know about her. Before things fully processed in my mind, her thoughts flooded my head.

_It had been a few years but I would forever remember that scent. So sweet and intoxicating…_

I had been distracted by her thoughts for the briefest of moments that I didn't sense her coming after me until her body was against mine, screaming at me and pressing me harder against the wall. I couldn't help but want to laugh. What exactly did she think she was going to accomplish here? She was staring into my eyes, as if this wasn't real. Oh, how I wish that was the case. I saw Emmett approach her, asking her why she was doing this. Odd, why did he care? Then she kept screaming "him…him!" She could've at least said my name. Oh, wait that's right…I never told her my name. Then, having an odd reaction, Emmett pulled the girl off of me and was in my face now, his thoughts and eyes exuding nothing but hatred and confusion. Why did he care so much about this girl? He was married to Rosalie…so love was out of the question right? Then again, maybe he had fallen into the spirit of the times. Love everyone type of thing.

I saw her attempt to move back towards me but, our other brother suddenly appeared and wrapped his arms around her. It looked like they were lovers when he whispered something to her but he was just trying to stop her from getting hurt. Though, when she lunged at me that should've broken some bones in her body…have her cry out in pain but there was nothing. How was that possible?

Oh! I am such an idiot. I realized now what happened. Instead of killing her, which had been the original plan, I had **changed **her! There must have been still a small amount of life in her when I left her behind in that alley. Enough where the venom was able to spread thru her body, keeping her here forever instead of her vanishing.

And then, I heard my wife speak. My dear wife. She was defending me as always. I saw Elizabeth glance down at her hand, a small snarl coming out of her lips as she tried to attack me again.

"You're married and you got me pregnant!" she screamed and everyone stopped. What? This had to be a hallucination. Some bad dream…if I had the capability to dream.

"I did no such thing." I defended myself. Who were they going to believe? This was my family, not hers. But, when she called Rosalie back into the room and she walked in, holding a beautiful little girl, I knew things were about to change.

"Who is she?" My wife, Bella, gasped.

"This is Lilly." Elizabeth whispered, motioning to the child in Rosalie's arms "She is _your _daughter." She walked back to me, her eyes glaring into mine.

"There is no way she is my daughter. You aren't even supposed to be here right now…I left you dying." I sighed. "you aren't real…" I repeated, shutting my eyes briefly. But, when I opened them, she was still there in front of me.

"Not real? That's the best you can come up with??" she spat.

This was some sort of cruel joke. Everything was so perfect up until now…and now, here she was, claiming that I was the father of her daughter.

"Well I'm sorry I ruined your perfect life." She smirked. What? I hadn't said anything! How did she know…

"Can you read minds?" I gaped at her.

"What are you talking about?" she shook her head.

"Elizabeth?" Carlisle stepped forward to her and I was relieved that at least for the moment, I was off the hook. I walked over to Bella and took her hand in mine. I saw her looking back and forth between me and the child, a sad expression on her face.

"Do you know what your gift is?" I heard him ask her.

"Gift? I don't understand Carlisle." She admitted.

"Most vampires have some sort of special talent that they bring with them into the next life you see…and well, it would be odd for you not to have gift of some sort."

"Oh, well I don't know." She shrugged, and she seemed a little embarrassed "Like I said before, I don't really know a whole lot about being a vampire. Just what I have experienced these past few years."

"Then, how was it that you knew what I was thinking?" I looked at Elizabeth and her eyes narrowed at me.

"You tell me because I have no idea…it was really strange though." She looked back at Carlisle and he was deep in thought. After a few minutes though, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Elizabeth tell me, is there anything else you feel right now in this room?"

She looked around the room for a few moments before looking back at Carlisle.

"Well, if I concentrate I can hear what everyone else is thinking…and also what they're feeling I suppose. I also get this odd feeling of compassion, love, strength and I think some beauty thrown in there." She mumbled.

"Just as I suspected…Elizabeth I believe that you have a gift that we like to call power mimicry." He said, a smile still plastered on his face.

Oh, that was just great. Not only had I changed her into a vampire but it seemed now that she was stealing all of our gifts from us.

* * *

_~Elizabeth's POV~_

What in the world was power mimicry? Personally, I didn't like it. It was giving me a major headache.

"It's very rare. But, what it is basically is that when you're around someone who has a particular talent or gift in this matter, you have the ability to copy and mimic it as if it was your own gift."

"Really? Hmm, that makes sense then. Because, there have been times where say someone who was a singer or painter was near me and for a few moments, I suddenly had a desire to paint or sing." I laughed "is that what you mean?"

"yes, to an extent."

"Is there any way I can turn it off…I don't want to be feeling all of your gifts. They are yours and I feel a little bombarded with them all at once."

"I don't think so." He said "but, we can help you find a way so that the feelings aren't so strong."

"That would be nice." I whispered.

"What about Lilly? Does she have any type of gift?" Carlisle wanted to know more.

"I'm not exactly sure…although, now that I know apparently Edward's …I'm pretty sure she has the same one. All this time I just thought she was a keen observer." I sighed, looking over at my baby who had a confused expression on her face. She kept staring at Edward, probably listening to his thoughts and vice versa.

"How is this possible Carlisle? How could he have fathered a child?" Edward's wife, Bella I believe asked. "Vampires aren't supposed to have children."

"Well, female vampires we know for sure cannot have children. But, I guess it would be possible for males to father children with human females."

"Edward…why didn't you tell me?" Bella looked at him, a hurt expression on her face. I felt bad for her…she didn't know her husband was so conniving. That got me a glare from Edward.

"It was a mistake…I was having a rough week, and I stumbled upon that small city and her. Her blood smelled so enticing to me. I just wanted to mess around a little with her…I thought it would make me feel better. So I slept with her…and then I bit her. I was so positive that she was dead…apparently I was wrong." He explained so calmly.

Before I could respond, Emmett looked like he was about to attack Edward again. I saw him standing there, tense…the veins in his arms bulging out.

"Don't talk about her like that…" he sneered. Both Edward and Bella looked at him oddly. They didn't understand why he was protecting me so much. Just wait until they find out…

Before anyone else could say anything…two more people walked in. A short girl with dark spiky hair and a guy who was tall and had black hair.

"Oh…my…god!" the short girl rambled staring at me and Lilly. The guy beside her gently wrapped an arm around her, as if she would tip over at any moment.

"It's her." She whispered to the man before he nodded and let her go and she walked up to me.

"Elizabeth?" she smiled suddenly at me, touching my cheek gently. I nodded my head.

"Elizabeth McCarty?" she repeated my full name this time "I cannot believe that you are here…in my living room. So many nights I saw you in my mind…never though did I see you coming here to our home." She beamed. "Oh Emmett you must be so happy that your little sister is back home with you now…I know how much you love her. And look, she has such a precious little angel with her." She turned her attention towards Lilly "my my Lilly, you are quite the looker…you even have Edward's…." she was cut off when a loud growl went through the room.

"Alice…" he breathed out shakily "PLEASE don't tell me you knew about all this…I mean, I knew you knew about what I did to Elizabeth, but you never told me that she changed into one of us and that she had a CHILD!"

"I thought it would be best if you didn't know. You promised me never to say anything to anyone…I thought what happened to her fell under that category."

He didn't say anything for a few moments, as if something had hit him.

"Wait, wait a minute…did you say that she's Emmett's _sister!_" he yelled again. This time though, Lilly grew a little upset. She wasn't used to so much yelling around her. I saw tears forming in her eyes. She reached out her small arms towards me and I instantly took her back into my arms and she buried her face in the crook of my neck. I frowned. She was scared. To make matters worse, it was her father who was making her feel so terrified.

"Can you please stop yelling Edward? You're scaring the child. Her fear is resonating so strongly." I felt someone come up next to me and instantly stepped back when I saw him trying to reach towards my daughter.

"It's fine.." he whispered "it'll help her…trust me." He smiled slightly as he came near us again. He just placed his hand ever so gently on Lilly's back and within a few moments, she was fast asleep in my arms. I stared at this man in awe.

"Remind me later to ask you about that." He just nodded.

"You can go upstairs if you wish…she can sleep in my bed. I don't use it obviously…it's…"

"Upstairs, third door on the left." I finished his sentence and he stared at me oddly.

"How did you know that?"

"I don't really know…all the sudden, I could see myself walking in my mind, to the third door on the left."

It was then that I heard a small giggle coming from the short girl. Alice her name was.

"Let me guess, you have visions of people?" I smiled and she nodded. She was excited and I was tired.

"Like I said, you are most welcome to use my room…I know you can't technically sleep, but you must be exhausted?"

"Yea, I am. I'm sorry…I didn't catch your name?" I looked up at him.

He reached over and took my hand in his

"Jasper…it's a pleasure to meet you Elizabeth." He said and I swore I heard an accent come out of his lips.

"Thank you Jasper. For everything." I turned towards everyone else in the living room "I hope you all don't mind…but, this has just been a little bit overwhelming for one evening."

"Don't worry about it Liz…we aren't going anywhere." My brother smiled at me. Rosalie was back at his side, her arm laced through with his. She was trying to calm him down and it seemed like it was working.

"Goodnight…" I whispered and walked up the stairs.

After I set Lilly on the bed, I just lay beside her and watched her.

"I'm still not convinced that she is my daughter…there is no physical way." Edward's voice floated from upstairs. There were two growls then, a crash and then the door slamming shut.

"You idiot Edward…you cannot just talk about Emmett's sister and niece like that…you're just in denial. So, unless you keep wanting to be flung into the wall..I'd watch what you say." Alice smirked.

I felt my cold heart drop. I know I never intended on seeing him again but, he didn't have to treat Lilly and I like we didn't exist. Like we were these two dark clouds in his perfect life.

And, as much as I hated him right now…there were still some answers he owed me. And, I was going to get them from him whether he liked it or not. He would tell me everything.

* * *

**So, how was it? I don't know whose POV to do the next chapter in. Any suggestions would be loved. **

**Let me know what you thought…about any of it.**


	5. Small Town Girls

_Thank you so much for my awesome reviews. I hope you enjoy this next chapter._

**Chapter 4: Small Town Girls**

**~Bella's POV~**

Things had been pretty normal around here. Well, as normal as living with a group of vampires can get. Half of my "family" had been gone for a few days. They had gone to see Emmett's home town. The place he grew up before he was changed. Personally, I thought it would be good for him to go back there…maybe it would give him some closure. I hadn't known him for very long but from what I know, he left behind his parents and a little sister behind. I'm sure he thought about them all the time. What he was expecting to find there was a mystery to everyone but in the end, Carlisle and Esme along with Rosalie all agreed to go with him.

Yesterday, Alice had a vision and she told us that they would be coming back but, there was something else but she couldn't quite see it yet.

I didn't think anything of it though. But, the moment Edward and I came down the stairs and I felt him freeze beside me, I knew there was something wrong. The moment Elizabeth lunged at him and started screaming at him, I knew there was more than met the eye.

And then, the moment she saw me and my wedding band and she accused him of being the father of her child, my mind froze. That's when all hell broke loose in our home.

And now, here I was…standing outside of the door. Jasper had let her borrow his room for awhile. Pretty generous of him to let a stranger use his room. He usually wasn't so hospitable.

I knocked on the door quickly. It was early in the morning I know but, there was no other time I could do this. Edward had taken off with Carlisle an hour ago…now was my only chance. I opened it and walked in. Elizabeth looked up at me from her spot on the bed. She was lying beside her little girl. The little girl who was almost a spitting image of Edward.

"Can we talk?" I approached her.

"Now?" she got up and walked to me. "What about?"

"I think I have the right to know about the woman who just showed up and made my life a whole lot more complicated." I smirked.

"Fine…won't Edward be mad at you though?"

"He isn't here…don't worry about your daughter. She'll be fine. We must go now though…there isn't much time." I grabbed her hand and led her out the room and out the front door.

"Where are we going?" she looked around as we traveled behind the house and into the forest.

"Here." I stopped her. We weren't that far from the house…but far enough.

"You need to tell me everything Elizabeth. I need to know…"

"Need to know what?" she was confused.

"Is what you say the truth? Is Edward…did he really do this to you?" I stammered and she just glared at me.

"I think it's pretty obvious." She sighed. She was right…the truth was right in front of my eyes. I was just refusing to see it.

"Can you tell me what happened that night he showed up in your life….please." I was trying to be cordial with her.

"I don't know…I don't think you want to hear this story. You're Edward's wife after all." She whispered. Was it terrible what he had done to her? No, I needed to know!

"Please, if you tell me…I will tell you my story. If that's any consolation?"

She thought about it for a moment before giving in.

"Fine." She mumbled sitting down in grass and I sat in front of her.

"Is it okay if I skip my whole family history thing? All that really matters was that it was 1960, I was alone and working…and it was Emmett's birthday that day." I nodded.

"There wasn't very many people in the diner that night. No one in fact. I should've went home when they told me to but, I had no home so I chose to stay there. That when he…I mean Edward showed up. I'll be honest with you, when I first laid eyes on him, he took my breath away. Small town girl you know? I had never seen anyone so beautiful in my life."

Small town huh? It seemed like she and I had more in common than just Edward apparently.

"I agree with you on that part." I smiled slightly.

"Anyways, we talked for a while as he sat there at the counter. He said something about he was just passing thru and wanted to know if I wanted to go for a walk with him. I foolishly accepted. Because honestly, I thought that Edward was like this personal angel of mine. I had so long been waiting for something good to come into my life and then, there he was…so I went with him."

"And then what happened?"

"So we walked…for hours that night. He asked me all kinds of questions but he never really gave me any insight about him. We stopped and sat on a bench for awhile. And that's when he asked me how old I was…and if…." She paused slightly "he asked me if I had ever slept with anyone before. When I told him now, he just smiled and said that it was all about to change…and that's when it happened. It was way too fast for my human mind to process let alone enjoy it."

I sighed in frustration. My one theory of how she had somehow seduced my husband suddenly vanished. She had no idea what was going on apparently.

She rambled one for another minute or so but I wasn't really paying attention. What jerked me back into her story was when she said "…and that's when he took me into the alley way, telling me that no one could ever know what we did. I was terrified…he just kept staring at me, his eyes the blackest of black before he _bit _me." She shook her head, obviously not liking the memory she was having.

"And when you woke up, you had been changed and you were pregnant?" I whispered. It seemed impossible and completely odd. But, nothing concerning this family was easy anymore.

"Yes. I ran off and stayed out of human sight for two months….and then Lilly was born. Thank god she was so strong otherwise who knows where I'd be…"she looked away from me and into the trees behind me.

I suddenly felt a surge of anger towards her. Here she was, the situation basically falling into her hands and she hated it. She didn't want this type of her life for herself. She was changed into something she knew nothing about, by the man who I loved more than anything.

I _hated _her. Not because she suddenly showed up in my life. Or not because I thought she was going to take Edward from me because she wanted nothing to do with him at the moment. But, I hated her because she had the one thing I wanted more than anything in this world…

"Bella?" I glared back at her "Your turn." She stated. As much as I just wanted to leave, I knew I had to tell her my story now. Regardless of the hate, I owed it her. Maybe if I told her, she would understand my hate towards her…maybe she would understand why Edward had treated her the way he did.

"So, five years ago, I met Edward. His family had just moved into our small town. And, there were suddenly six new students in our small school. It was impossible to keep your eyes off of them. They were all so mysterious and gorgeous. But yet, they were together…except for one. And that one boy was Edward. And well, like you said….the first time I saw him, he took my breath away too. He sat beside me in one of our classes. At first, he never spoke to me…never anything. He always looked uncomfortable. But even so, I knew I was in love with him."

"He must have a thing for small town girls apparently." She rolled her eyes and I nodded.

"Anyways, after about two months of all this secrecy, he finally let me into his life. He told me everything. What he was…what he could do and how we could never be together. That just wasn't an option in my book but he begged to differ. See Elizabeth, I was Edward's singer…"

"His what?"

"It's what vampires say when they meet someone whose blood smells especially enticing to them…it sings to them I suppose. That is why he wanted nothing to do with me…but, I convinced him that I didn't care. I loved him for crying out loud!" I sighed and she laughed at me lightly.

"So I take it he finally gave in and fell in love back?"

"Yes…and things were perfect for almost two years. And then, he showed up to school one day…a few days before our high school graduation and told me that his family was leaving again. Because you see…the Cullens only live in one spot for about five years at the most. This time though, they decided to leave earlier. Edward told me he'd be leaving too…and that I couldn't come with him. I was devastated. The love of my life was just going to simply walk out…just as quickly as he walked in. So, on the night of our graduation, I was at a party with some of our friends…not in my right mind when one of them suggested I take this new drug…that it would make all my troubles go away…." I paused, looking up to see her reaction thus far. Her face was emotionless…but she was clearly engrossed in it.

"So I took them…more than perhaps I should have. The last thing I remember…is feeling really strange, with my heart feeling like it was going to pound straight out my chest…and then, there was Edward…at my side, telling me things I couldn't hear…and that's when he…"

"He bit you didn't he?" she said suddenly, jumping up off the ground.

"I was too far gone for any doctor to do anything to save me. I didn't want to live…if Edward was going to be gone, what was the use of living?"

"You wanted to die…just because he was leaving??" she was shocked.

"You don't understand…you do not know the type of love the two of us have…"

"Were you mad at him when you realized what he did?"

"No. I was completely happy…it meant I could be with him forever…I was thrilled…at first." I finished.

"What happened?"

"A little more than three years ago, Edward and I had just gotten married and our life seemed complete. I loved spending every day with him…but, there was something I was unaware of. Something I didn't know I would be giving up when he changed me…"

"What's that?"

"The ability to have children."

"Oh." She whispered.

"I snapped at Edward one night. After months of him trying to comfort me…saying that as long as the two of us were together, that's all that mattered. But, at the time, I was furious with him. I even told him that I would have rather died than be what I am now. I wanted nothing more than to be a mother…and suddenly, I no longer had that option. And I didn't want to adopt either…I wanted my own child…a child with Edward. I blamed him…saying this was all his fault…he had taken away everything from me. And so, one night he got fed up and left…and he was gone for about a week…and now I know where he went." I shrugged. This was my fault. If I hadn't exploded at him, he would've never left…never would've found Elizabeth and did this to her.

"He never told you what happened?"

"No. When he came back, I begged for him to forgive me. That I would never treat him like that again…and he took me back with open arms, saying I had every right to be upset. And he told me he would never leave again."

"What about now? How do you feel about your husband?" she asked.

"I still love him as much as I did before all this happened. Yes, he made a mistake…"

"A mistake!" she yelled at me "he left me to die in the middle of some alley. He just used me…he broke me…" she hissed.

"He's my husband Elizabeth…what do you expect me to do? It's not like he expected you to ever show up again…and with a child no less. You don't think I can't see the guilt he has in his eyes…he's having a harder time dealing with this than you think."

"Guilt? Guilt that he got caught?"

"Guilt because he knows this is killing me. To now know that he has a child…the one thing I wanted more than anything to share with him. To know that now you have his child and I never will??" I walked up to her closer. If she kept acting like this, I would have no problem fighting her.

"Hey!" she placed her hands up to keep me from coming closer "don't take your anger out on me. I didn't seek him out…I never asked for any of this okay? I wasn't begging for him to change me into a vampire…or to get me pregnant. But you know, here I am. I'm sorry that you can't have children. Really I am…but, you cannot possibly hate me for it. I didn't change you…" she suddenly dropped her hands and wrapped them around me and hugged me. I didn't hug her back…I was in too much shock.

"You may hate me…" she whispered "but I don't hate you…maybe Edward to a certain extent, but not you…neither of us really asked for this, it's just how things ended up." She pulled away quickly and began walking towards the house.

I slumped down into the grass and just stayed there…for hours maybe until Edward came out and found me.

"Love, what are you doing out here…" he said as he helped me up to my feet.

"I talked with Elizabeth."

"What? Why??" his eyes grew wide. I didn't know whether or not if he was upset or nervous.

"I had to know Edward. I needed to know what you did to her…you broke that poor girl." I whispered.

"Do you hate me?"

"How could I hate you Edward? I love you so much…" I sighed wrapping my arms around my husband.

"You're perfect Bella…my own personal angel." He whispered as we began walking back to the house.

How ironic. He thought I was his angel. Elizabeth thought he was her angel coming to save her, yet he broke her instead. I still thought he was my angel. Like she said, we had no idea things were going to end up like this.

As we walked inside, Elizabeth was sitting at the kitchen table with Emmett and Lilly, who was smiling brightly at her family. If I could cry, I would have right then with the words I was about to say…

"Edward, I think you should go properly meet your daughter…" I whispered, nudging him slightly and everyone stopped and looked at me before Edward began walking towards the table.

Because, it wasn't _our _daughter…it was _his _daughter. Actually, it was _their _daughter.

This was going to be a long coping process. To get used to this new situation we were now all in.

**So what did you guys think?? I hope I was able to capture Bella's emotions properly & hopefully there's some better clarity as to why Edward was acting like such a jerk. **

**Reviews = love**


	6. HIStory Repeats

_My Reviews for the last chapter were amazing! Thank you so much! Hopefully they keep coming…enjoy!_

**Chapter 5: HIStory Repeats**

**~Elizabeth~**

Bella made me tell her my story and in return, she told me mine. It was shocking to know that she had wanted to end her own life, simply because Edward was leaving. Maybe she is right though. I certainly do not know the love that she and Edward have for one another.

I feel so bad for her. I never would've thought she would have such a reaction…upset at Edward for lying to her or that he cheated on her I could see her being upset about. Never the less, it was quite sad knowing that she had unknowingly given up any chance of being of mother the day Edward changed her.

I left her outside in the forest. I think she wanted some time to think anyways. I found my way back to the house quite easily. When I got back, Lilly was still asleep so I spent the rest of my morning talking with Esme and Rosalie, hearing their stories from them. I wasn't too surprised when they both expressed to me the remorse each of them had because they couldn't have children.

At that moment, it made me treasure Lilly even more than I already do.

Esme told me how she had been pregnant once but her child had died…and how Rosalie had always longed for a baby. In fact, that is why Emmett caught her eye that fateful day. He apparently reminded her of the son of one of her friends. She told me how it was so difficult on her…it was something she thought about every day.

"Is is hard for you…to know that I have a child?" I asked.

"No, not really. But, I think because you are Emmett's sister and Lilly is his niece. You are his family. And his actually family at that. He will always have you guys actually. And if that makes him happy, then it makes me happy."

"I see." I smiled. I liked Rosalie.

Lilly eventually woke up. Jasper had stood at the bottom of the stairs, an odd look on his face.

"She woke up…I was trying to be really quiet though. I was just reading a book in there…"

"You were in there with her?" Emmett appeared, holding Lilly and coming down the stairs. I didn't know what that was all about but shrugged it off as we took her into the kitchen to find her something to eat.

We were laughing and having a good time when I felt people coming into the kitchen. It was Bella and Edward.

"Edward…" I heard Bella speak "I think you should go properly meet your daughter." We both looked up and after a few seconds, he began walking towards the table we were sitting at.

**~Edward's POV~**

I quietly and cautiously approached the table. Both Emmett and Elizabeth were watching me. They were definitely related those two.

"May I?" I asked, looking down at Emmett was had his arm around Lilly. He looked at his sister who, after a few moments of debating with herself, nodded towards him. He stood and handed me Lilly, a look of uncertainty in his eyes. He quickly walked out of the room after that. Bella followed him after that. Saying something about "this was something for him…and him alone right now."

The moment Emmett placed her in my arms, I had the oddest feeling. She really was beautiful. She had her mother's dark, curly hair but her eyes and smile were clearly mine. She had pale skin which she got from the both of us.

I was about to open my mouth to say something when I felt something cold and soppy being shoved into my mouth. I winced as I swallowed whatever it was that Lilly had placed in there. But, the moment she burst into a fit of giggles, I couldn't help but smile down at her…forgetting all about the gross taste in my mouth.

"You are clearly related to Emmett." I laughed lightly. Much like him, she had the makings of a practical joker but oh so loveable.

"Lilly baby that wasn't very nice." Elizabeth stood up and took the spoon away from her and placed it on the table "say sorry to Edward." She smiled.

"Sorry Eddy-ward." She grinned up at me. For being only three years old, she was pretty articulate. Perhaps it was the vampire aspect of her?

"It alright sweetheart…Elizabeth, would you two like to go out for awhile with me?" I offered and she looked at me funny before shrugging. "we'd just be going for a walk in the forest…"

"Again? You guys sure like to walk in the forest a lot…that's fine I guess." She followed me out the door. I was pleasantly surprised that she let me hold Lilly in my arms as we walked around.

"I might hate you still but I wouldn't deny you spending time with your daughter." She whispered when we stopped for awhile. I raised and eye at her but then remembered her gift. She was able to read minds if she was close enough to me.

"This is actually quite beautiful." She looked back to the small river that was flowing in front of us.

"I like to come here sometimes…to think. I thought that Lilly might like it." I set her down and she immediately went running towards the water. My parental instincts must've kicked in because I quickly caught her and brought her back in my arms.

"Maybe you should stay right here Lilly? I don't want you falling in the water. Would that be okay?" I asked her and she nodded. Though, I'm not really sure if she understood. Elizabeth and I both sat in the grass against one of the big trees and watched Lilly run around, picking at flowers…looking at the water but not getting too close to it.

"Scary how it comes so easily isn't it?" she looked over at me.

"What?"

"Parenting." She laughed.

She was right. I hadn't even known Lilly for more than twenty four hours and I already had the strong desire to protect her from everything. Not that she was a normal child…she was much stronger. Regardless, she was _my _daughter and I wasn't about to let anything even remotely dangerous threaten her.

"So I take it you changed you mind then from last night?" Elizabeth snapped me out of my thoughts. The thoughts she had obviously heard.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Last night…you told everyone that there was no way that you know who was your daughter…that there was no physical proof I believe is what you said." She said and I could hear the pain and hurt in her voice.

"I was in shock Elizabeth. I had just found out that I had a child…and that you were still alive."

"Is that why you were acting like such a jerk to me when I saw you? Saying things like 'oh, you're supposed to be dead' and 'I just wanted to mess around with her a little bit…and I left her in that alley.' You remember all that?"

"I didn't really mean any of those things. You probably won't believe me but, I tend to put on this façade when I'm nervous…or under extreme guilt. If I offended you in any way, I apologize…I never meant to hurt you. And I promise to take full responsibility for you and Lilly. It's the least I can do."

She just rolled her eyes at me.

"Edward…" she looked quickly at Lilly, her eyes narrowing at the child when she got too close to the water again. To which Lilly quickly moved away. "I don't want your pity. I don't really want anything from you actually. If you want to be a part of Lilly's life, I'll let you…she is your daughter. I wasn't seeking you out if that's what you're trying to get at. Hell, I'm still trying to get used to the fact that after all these years, I found my brother again…"

"So you're just going to let me into her life? Just like that?"

"Why not? She deserves to know that she has a father…even if it means he'll only pop in once in awhile."

"Wait what? I thought you were staying with us now?"

"For now Edward…but I can't just move in with your family."

"Where else are you going to go? Besides, Emmett isn't going to let you out of his sight. And I…well, I don't really want you to leave either. Because of Lilly of course." I added quickly.

"We'll see what happens." She shrugged.

"So, what did you and Bella talk about this morning?"

"You." She stated "I told her my story and she told me hers."

"And what do you think?"

"I think that she and I have much more in common than I thought. It was sort of like history repeated itself doesn't it? Small town girl, you took our breath away, personal angels…you changed her…and so forth."

"Angels?"

"Oh crap…never mind. I didn't say that." She shook her head. "I have a question for you now."

"What is it?"

"You said that you acted the way you did because you were under intense guilt. Bella said something about guilt too this morning…you care to explain that to me?"

"The moment I saw you and Lilly, my mind instantly shifted to Bella. I can't read her mind…she somehow is able to shield it from me and everyone else. So, I had no idea what she felt when you said that Lilly was my daughter. So, later on that night, when we were alone I asked her what she felt…and she didn't say anything. She just looked at me with this look of severe hurt and betrayal. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know why she was feeling that way. I'm sure she told her about her desire to have children…and how it's something she will never be able to do?"

"Yes…and she said that is why you were feeling so guilty."

"Exactly. You have no idea the type of guilt I am feeling. It was never my intention to hurt Bella like that. I love her more than anything in this world…before she came along, my world was empty and dark. She is the most important thing to me and she will always be. And, knowing that I am the reason she will never be able to have children is something inexplicable. I hated myself so much last night when I saw you because of what it was doing to Bella." I said and I saw a flicker or sadness in her eyes.

"Elizabeth please…" I tried to place my hand on hers to comfort her but she pulled away quickly "know that when I say this, I mean that the love I have for Bella can never compare to anything else. But…" I paused when she got up and began to walk away, the pain now so evident on her face.

"No please let me finish…" I went after her and grabbed her arm and turned her around to look at me. "But.." I started up again when she didn't make any attempts to move "I'm beginning to see that there is a new love in my life. The love for my daughter. And _that _love I have for her also cannot compare to anything else. I know that it doesn't make sense but the love and I have for _both _Bella AND Lilly cannot compare to one another…because they are so unique and special."

She stayed silent for a few minutes. She looked down at the ground, behind me into the trees and finally towards Lilly who was smiling up at us.

"You have quite the way with words Edward." She finally sighed and bent down to pick up Lilly in her arms. "I see now what you meant about guilt. And, while I may not have forgiven you just quite yet for doing all this to me….I do not hate you for one thing. And that is the fact that you gave me her." She kissed Lilly's forehead gently before looking at me again "Especially now that I know just how hard it is not only on Bella but Esme and Rosalie because they can never have children. It has made me so much more thankful for having her in my life…"

"Well, at least you don't hate me." I laughed.

"I never said that." She smirked "I still hate you…you broke me Edward let's not forget that. You left me abandoned and changed into something I still don't really know much about…so you're not off the hook. The only reason I'm trying to be so civil with you is because of her. It'll be a very long time before I will even fathom forgiving you."

That wasn't very reassuring. But, I suppose it was something I could live with…if it meant I could spend time with Lilly.

"Flower?" Lilly's little voice cut us off and she handed one to me and one to Elizabeth.

"Thanks baby." Elizabeth smiled.

"Thanks sweetheart."

"I think maybe we should get back. Bella's probably worried about you…" she sighed. "And…well Emmett's probably wondering where I went off to probably."

"Okay…can I hold her again?" I asked hopefully. She somewhat reluctantly gave me Lilly so I could hold her close as we walked back towards the house.

_I love you so much Lilly. I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me for everything I did…._I looked down at her, and she smiled at me and reached up and touched my cheek lightly.

"That means she loves you too…" Elizabeth whispered as we reached the house "it's her way of showing affection…she knows you're someone important to her, just not exactly how or why." She walked inside and I stopped and stared back down at Lilly. She looked like she wanted to say something…but, she was hesitant. Once she heard her mother's voice in the living room, she snuggled in closer to my chest and let one little word slip into my thoughts...

_Daddy?_

I stared wide eyed at her and she giggled lightly.

"Yes angel…and I promise I'll take care of you forever…" I leaned down and kissed her cheek and we stood like that for awhile, just staring outside at the scenery before she fell asleep in my arms.

"You're going to be a great dad to her Edward." Bella spoke from behind me and I turned around and she was smiling at me. It was a semi-sad smile but that was to be expected of her. I could feel that guilt creeping in again…but, Lilly was someone very important in my life now.

There had to be a way for both Lilly and Bella to co-exist with one another without Bella being so sad all the time when she saw me with her.

There had to be a reason for Elizabeth and Lilly to stay with our family forever.

And finally, I would get Elizabeth to eventually to forgive me for all the horrible things I did to her.

I don't know how I will accomplish all these things but I won't give up until I find a way.

History may have repeated itself…but, I was going to find a way to make things right.

**I hope you liked Edward's perspective on things…I worked really hard on it. **

**Reviews= LOVE**

**Oh, and if anyone has any suggestions for any later chapters, feel free to let me know...**


	7. Mood Swings

_Thanks for the great feedback for the last chapter. So, to __**hayleyhoo, DisastrousOl'Me, xoKellyAnneexo, Angelpinkgal, snoball13 & twilightaddict323…**__I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint!_

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_**Chapter 7: Mood Swings**_

**~Elizabeth~**

I have officially been staying with the Cullen family for ten days now. That's almost two weeks. Two weeks since my life changed completely. It went from being just me and Lilly…to me living with nine…count them..NINE other vampires.

I'll admit though, it's still a little weird being around all of them. Everything they do is normal to them. And I just stare at them like I'm some sort of fool…because it's all new to me.

Still, regardless of my awkwardness, this family has taken me in with welcome arms. Well, almost all of them. Things are still a little tense around Edward and Bella. Well, not a little…a lot.

Carlisle tells me that I need to just take it one day at a time. Easier said than done right?

Emmett on the other hand, says if Edward acts out again, he'll end up losing an arm or something. Oh, my brother…I love him so much. Secretly, I hope it doesn't come down to that. I don't want Lilly to have to see that.

Even if it is a part of who we are I guess.

And so today marks the start of day ten. I was doing what I did every morning. I was lying on the bed, looking at my little angel sleep. I don't ever leave her sight at night. So, needless to say, I haven't "eaten" anything since I've arrived here. It's not too bad right now…because I'm not around any humans. Well, Lilly is half human…but her scent has no effect on me whatsoever. She's my daughter after all.

There was a light knock on the door before it opened. This was also part of my daily routine. Every morning, Jasper comes and knocks on _his _door, asking permission to come into _his _room.

"Good morning Elizabeth. How was your evening?" he asks me the same thing every morning.

"It was fine. How was yours?"

"Fine." He nodded quickly and walked to his closet and grabbed some clothes before heading to the bathroom in his room.

I feel sort of bad. I've pretty much kicked Jasper out of his room so that Lilly can have somewhere to sleep at night. I tried to tell him that we can go to another room or even sleep on the couch so he can have his room back but he won't allow it. I told him he could stay in here…but he refused even more so to that idea.

Honestly, I want to get to know him better. Out of everyone, he is the only one who hasn't really talked to me. And, it only makes me more intrigued about him.

The door opened and he walked out. He always takes the quickest showers. I mean, I know as vampires, we can do everything rather quickly but still, I like to take my time in there…enjoying the hot water.

My eyes unknowingly followed him as he made his way to the big bookshelf he has in the room. His hair was still somewhat wet and it was falling over his face in all directions.

He's really quite something to look at. I'm interested in him. I want to know about him…it's a little exciting to think that maybe he has some dark secret or something.

Suddenly, I felt a tad bit confused and a little annoyed when he looked up at me.

Oh, right I forgot. Just as he can feel my emotions, I can feel his…since we're in the same room.

How embarrassing!

He quickly grabbed his book and starts for the door.

"Um Jasper?" I blurted out before he left. He stopped for a second and looked at me.

"Do you think you can watch Lilly for a little while so I can take a shower?" he looked down at her sleeping form.

"I think she'll stay asleep long enough for that." He mumbled

"Please. For five minutes? I just don't want to leave her out here alone. I know nothing bad will happen but, it'll give me peace of mind."

"Fine." He sighed and sat in the big chair he has in the corner in the room "five minutes." He said but doesn't look back up at me.

"Thanks." I smiled and rushed into the bathroom and got into the shower. Since I told him five minutes, I didn't have the time to enjoy the nice water today. Oh, well. I do all I need to do and get out.

It's then I realize that the only thing I brought in with me was a clean pair of undergarments that Alice let me have.

"Oops." I mumbled to myself and put back on the silk pajama shorts that she had let me borrow. I could go out into the room and just get something but that would be a little awkward. Standing in the middle of the bathroom for a few seconds, I noticed something on one of the towel racks. It's a shirt…and I smile in relief.

It's Jasper's obviously. But, he shouldn't mind right? I just need something to wear so I can walk out to get my shirt. I slip it on and button up some of the buttons. Oh, it smells good too.

I opened the door and walked out into the bedroom. But, Jasper is no longer there. Instead…I find Edward sitting in a chair on the side of the bed, watching Lilly sleep.

"I see why you never leave her side at night. She is so amazing to watch sleep." He awed over her. "she is having nothing but pleasant dreams." He smiled.

"What are you doing in here?" I sighed.

"I can't come in and watch my daughter sleep?" he looked up at me and raised an eye brow at my appearance.

"Have some fun last night Elizabeth?" he whispered. What? Oh, please don't tell me that was a hint of jealously I heard in his voice.

"No, not Jealousy…concern is more like it. Jasper isn't really…."

"Wait, what are you talking about!" I stopped him "there's nothing…wait, I don't need to explain anything to you Edward."

Thinking of Jasper, I suddenly grew very irritated with him. Why, I don't really know.

"I'll be back…" I mumbled and walked down the stairs. And low and behold, there he was. Just sitting in the corner of the living room, away from everyone else…with another book in his hand.

"Why did you leave her alone?" I went and stood in front of him but he didn't look up.

"I didn't. Edward came in and asked if he could sit with her…he is her father. So, I didn't see anything wrong with it."

"But, I asked you…all you had to do was sit there for five minutes." I was growing more furious at him because he wasn't looking at me. I grabbed the book out of his hand and dropped it to the ground. Finally, his eyes looked up.

But, I wish they hadn't. Because when he did, I got a funny feeling.

His eyes narrowed at me and he stood up…he was mad at me.

"First of all, why are you wearing my shirt?" he looked down at me and it took me a few seconds to remember how to speak.

"I needed something to put on really quick…that isn't the point though."

"I gave you the five minutes you asked for. It isn't my fault you took up more time…I did what you asked of me. Now, can you please stop hassling me?" he snapped and bent down to pick up his book and walked outside.

"What was that all about?" I frowned and turned back to see that only Alice was in the room with me now.

"Don't worry too much Elizabeth. Now come on." She grabbed my hand "let's get you changed…I have big plans for us today."

"Like?" I laughed as he dragged me up the stairs into her bedroom and she pointed to the bed and she went to her closet, throwing things out around her.

"I think it's due time we went shopping…you can't keep wearing mine and Rosalie's clothes. Not that I mind sharing…it's just that we aren't really the same sizes…" she said, handing me a shirt and a skirt to put on.

She was right. I may not be tall, but I was way taller than Alice was. So her clothes were just a little short on me. And then there was Rosalie. Honestly, her clothes were too tight for me. I don't know how she wore them.

"And you are more shall we say…curvier than I am." She sighed once I had the outfit on.

"Hips and boobs…what I wouldn't give." She laughed. I just shook my head at her. I thought Alice looked absolutely beautiful the way she was. It fit her personality to a tee.

"Well anyways, we can ask Esme if she wants to watch Lilly for a few hours…or…we can always ask Edward?" She suggested.

"I don't know. I'm still not _that _comfortable with him."

"But Liz…" she sighed "he is her father…just give him a shot. Nothing bad will happen."

"How do you know?" I said as we walked out towards where Lilly was.

She just tapped her forehead lightly.

How could I forget? We walked back into Jasper's room and found Edward sitting on the bed with Lilly, telling her some sort of story. To which she wasn't really paying attention but he told it anyways.

"Mommy…" she beamed and tried to wiggle her way out of Edwards grasp. He gently let her go and I sat in front of the two of them and smiled.

"Are you having fun sweetie?" she nodded. "that's good…well…hmm, well would you like to spend some more time with Edward?" I finally got it all out and he looked up at me in surprise.

"kay." She giggled and climbed back into his lap.

_I love daddy. _Her thoughts flowed into both mine and Edward's minds.

"How about that?" I forced myself to smile at her.

My poor little daughter. She didn't realize just how complicated this all was. And to be honest, I hoped it stayed that way.

"I'll take good care of her." Edward assured me as I got up to leave. I just nodded at him and kissed Lilly's head gently before going back with Alice.

"Good job Liz. Now, do you mind if my husband comes along?" she asked and before I could respond, there he was. I'll admit, he intimidated me too.

I looked him over as we headed out. He was much taller than Alice. But, he was also very lanky I guess you can say. He had black hair and it was a little messy, just like his wife. They looked perfect together. As if they were made for one another.

"I know you and Luca haven't really had the chance to talk…so I figured I'd bring him along so we can all get to know one another better." She smiled and she nudged me to sit in the front seat of the car with him.

"So um…Luca is it? That's an interesting name." I tried to make friendly conversation with him. He seemed like the serious type. Almost the complete opposite of Alice who was always bouncing off the walls.

"He's Italian you know? Oh I love Italian fashion…Gucci…Fendi…" she sighed in a daydream "so, it would make sense that I'd fall for an Italian man right?" she giggled and she leaned forward towards the front of the car.

"Do you have a gift too?" I looked over at him and I could see him smile slightly. Even on his gorgeous face, it still looked a little creepy.

"Show her Luca…it's okay." She said, excitement in her voice.

"Don't worry okay?" he spoke slightly and then reached his hand over and touched my face gently while keeping the other on the steering wheel. I jumped back slightly when I felt a surge of something go through my systems. Before I could speak, there was this flood of images flowing through my mind.

After about ten seconds, I realized he was showing me his life story. How lucky of him to be able to remember so much about his human life. I saw him as a child. I saw his parents and what looked like to be his sisters laughing and having a good time. And then as a young man, helping his father and going to school. He was handsome even as a human if I do say so myself.

And then things started to get a little dark. It was raining…he was running from something. But, whoever it was caught up with him. It was a woman. A woman with raven black hair who had blood on her face already. She must've attacked his family before she got to him. He couldn't outrun her and he was bitten. But, she didn't kill him. He was left in the middle of nowhere…and then, for a few seconds, everything went blank an then there images of him in his first few years as a vampire…some of them not so pleasant. Suddenly, it flashed to Alice…and her bright smile.

I hadn't realized that he had pulled away his hand or that we had reached the line of shops.

"That was amazing…now that's a gift I wouldn't mind mimicking." I smiled.

"Oh, try it Elizabeth!" Alice beamed with excitement.

"May I?" I looked over at Luca and he nodded. I concentrated and reached over and touched his face with my hand. A smiled flashed across his face. It was working. I only did it for a few moments. I don't know what I was showing him exactly.

"You were a very pretty child Elizabeth. Lilly resembles you a lot. And God, Emmett looks exactly the same. Well, obviously…that was a nice little glimpse. I do hope we can try that again sometime?"

"Sure. That's pretty cool to be able to show people things with the touch of your hand."

"I know right!" Alice giggled "I can see the future and Luca…well, he can see the past. Even what people don't remember, he can see it."

"Now Liz, don't you worry about a thing…we're going to take care of everything." She smiled at me. "you and Lilly will have a full wardrobe by the time we leave here." She tugged my arm into the first store.

"But how…"

"With this." She whipped out a shiny credit card quickly and smiled "courtesy of my husband of course." She leaned up and kissed him quickly.

"money is no object Elizabeth…so feel free to enjoy yourself." He nodded towards me.

This was too perfect. But, I was completely thankful for their generosity.

We spent hours shopping, piling on bag after bag.

"So how do you like staying with us Liz?" Alice asked me when we took a break from all the shopping and sat around in a café.

"I like it. It's nice to not have to hide who I am. I don't have to be on guard all the time…you all have been very good to me. Very nice too." I sighed. Oops, Alice had totally seen that.

"Yea, we all sort of lucked out. I mean, Carlisle and Esme took us all in and they love us all like we are their own children. Who knew we would all pair off?"

"All of you?" I was confused.

"Well everyone except Jasper…he's sort of the odd man out." She sighed innocently. Too innocently.

"Is he always….well is he always so moody?" I frowned when they started to laugh.

"That was just the start…what you saw earlier." She laughed some more. "I'll admit though Jasper is a very peculiar person." She nodded and Luca agreed.

"He seems very distant from the rest of you all too. Does he not get along well with everyone?"

"No, he does. We all love each other very much. But well, you see…Jasper he comes from a different time. A different place. Well, in fact so do Luca and myself."

"Really?" I sat up "you mean Carlisle didn't change you guys….like he did everyone else?"

"Maybe you should tell her your story Alice? Maybe she'll understand better?" Luca encouraged her.

"Hmm, yes you're right. Well let's see…well I was born in 1901, around there in Mississippi. And, even as a young girl, I had premonitions…much like I do now. In fact, that was my downfall. My parents didn't know what to do with me…so they put me in this insane asylum and told everyone that I had died from some god awful disease. Anyways, while I was there…that's when I got changed into a vampire. I don't remember much of that time you see. All I remember is waking up alone in the woods somewhere…"

"Oh…that's horrible Alice. I know how you feel though. Well, about the whole waking up alone part." I sighed.

"It was really hard at first. I didn't know what I was doing. And then, one day out of the blue…I had a vision." She smiled "and, can you guess what my vision was of?" she looked at me. I shrugged.

"It was of Jasper silly. I saw us meeting in some empty diner…and so I went and found that diner. And I waited for him there…for two years." She smiled at the memory. "and then finally one day, he showed up…"

"Where did he come from?" I whispered but she shook her head.

"I'm afraid that's his story to tell you…I can only tell you mine."

"oh."

"So anyways, after we finally met up, I had another vision. And, it was about the Cullen family and how we would live with them. So, for another two years of so…we looked for them until we found them. And Jasper and I grew very close to one another naturally."

"And you two fell in love?" and she nodded. Well, I was even more confused now.

"That's what I thought in the beginning. After we spent some time with the Cullens, Jasper and I were set to get married. It was more so my idea than it was his." She shrugged "I think I just wanted a wedding. I wanted the dress…the flowers…" she laughed. "but then, literally hours before our wedding, I had a vision. It was a vision of a wedding…my wedding to be exact. But, to my great surprise…it wasn't Jasper waiting for me at the end of the aisle."

"What did you do?"

"I told Jasper what I saw and he was greatly relieved. Not to say that he didn't love me…but, he didn't really want to get married. He was just doing it because he knew it was something I wanted. And, he wanted to make me happy. And so, we called off the wedding and we've been like best friends ever since."

"And so, I take it Luca was the one you saw in your vision."

"Yes! And I went all the way to Italy to find him. After a few months there, he finally showed up too. And the rest was history. I fell in love with him on the spot. He never stood a chance…"

"She's quite right. She had been waiting for me all this time…and the moment I saw her, I knew she was it for me. I would never be alone as long as I had this little pixie at my side." Luca smiled and kissed her cheek gently. Those two were deeply in love. It was all over their faces.

A love that I still didn't understand because I had never experienced it.

"I'm glad that you got your happily ever after Alice…after everything you went through, you deserve all the happiness."

"You'll get all the happiness you deserve on day too Liz. I mean, you already have a gorgeous daughter. Something the women in our household would literally kill for."

"What about you? You never wanted to have children Alice?" I was curious.

"To be honest, it's not something I've ever really thought about. I don't remember much my life as a human so I don't remember my mother. I know that she loved me…and I'm content with knowing just that. And I think that I'm content with just knowing that I have someone who loves me dearly. I think that's all I need." She sighed.

"You're such a positive person Alice. I'm going to start hanging around you more often." I laughed as we stood to get up and leave. As we passed more stores to get back to the car, I stopped in front of one.

"Oh…can we go in there please??" I practically jumped for joy when I saw the music store. Even in this life, I loved music. I wasn't a great singer but I loved listening to it.

"After you…" Luca laughed and opened the door for me.

We eventually had to get back to the house. I had gone from Lilly for far too long and even though I knew she was okay, I still wanted to hold my baby.

When we pulled up into the driveway, there was an array of noises. The sound of laughter mostly. But there was also a loud banging noise. I opened the door and saw Edward and Lilly sitting at the piano. He was holding her in his lap and he was letting her slam down on all the keys and they were both laughing. He looked up at me and motioned me to come over.

"I think our daughter might have a musical gift." He laughed some more.

Wait, did he just say _our _daughter?

"Yes, yes I did." He answered me.

"Did you guys have fun? I'm sorry I was gone for so long." I frowned. I hadn't realized the time.

"No, it's fine…I enjoyed it very much. Esme helped me make her something for dinner…I hope you don't mind."

"That's fine. I should take her upstairs now…get her ready for bed."

"No, please…" he smiled at me "can I have a little bit more time with her before she goes to sleep?" I looked down at Lilly and she looked utterly happy. Edward cleared his throat and I looked back at him and he was still smiling.

What on Earth was he doing? What's with that smile…did he think that was going to win me over?

"Is it working?"

"No." I lied "You can spend some more time with her Edward. I got to go find room to put all these clothes Alice bought me and Lilly."

"Thanks."

I walked upstairs, holding a few of the bags in my hand. Luca had already taken most of them up into Jasper's room for me. I felt bad. First I take over his bed. Now, I was going to take up some of his closet space with all these clothes.

I spent twenty minutes trying to take up as little space as I could in the room. I was sorting through all the records I had bought that I didn't realize someone else was in the room with me.

"Interesting selections…" a voice whispered from behind me and I jumped, the records falling to the ground.

"What are you doing?" I sighed, bending down to pick up everything.

"Did I honestly scare you?" he smirked.

"Um, yes Jasper…you did scare me. You can't just sneak up on people like that." I rolled my eyes.

"The Beatles huh?" he eyed me and handing me some of the records.

"What? They're really good…one of the best albums of this year by far."

"Yea, if you say so."

"What are you doing in here anyways? Besides to criticize my music."

"This is my room remember?"

"Oh yea…" I sure felt like a fool.

"Actually, I came in here to say….to say I'm sorry I suppose."

"For? Oh yea…for having a major mood swing on me earlier?"

"It wasn't a mood swing." He scoffed "I was just a little irritated."

"From? I don't get you Jasper…I mean, you have barely said anything to me since I've been here. I know I took your room from you but I offered plenty of times to give it back to you but you just refuse. And then today, the moment I get in your face about something…you like flip out on me. If that's not a mood swing, I don't know what is." I turned and put the stuff in my hand on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf.

When I stood back up, there he was again!

"Well first of all, Esme wouldn't be too happy with me if I let you and Lilly sleep on the couch. It would be very improper of me. And second of all, I snapped at you earlier because you were wearing my shirt. It's my favorite shirt you know…" he inched closer to me closer and closer…until my back was against the bookshelf "and, I was really into that book I was reading. You know, the one you knocked out my hands?"

"So…" I whispered "you're saying that because I was wearing your shirt and knocked a book out of your hand…that's why you got all moody?"

"Basically…and the fact that now my favorite shirt has your scent all over it…" He placed both of his hands on either side of my head. Cautiously looking up to meet his gaze, I noticed his eyes were very dark. Not with hunger….with something else?

"And, I keep thinking about all those emotions you had when I came out of the shower too…it hasn't made my day any easier."

Him staring at me was starting freak me out. I didn't really know him. I didn't know what he was capable of. Alice said that he came from a different time and place. I really wish I knew what that meant now.

He wouldn't hurt me right? I mean…right?

"You're scared…" his face twisted into a small smile "and also very attracted to me…" he whispered in my ear.

Stupid emotion reader.

I didn't even want to know what he was feeling. I tried to push him away from me but that didn't work out.

"No…no I'm not." I shut my eyes, just hoping that this awkward, scary and exhilarating situation would go away. I didn't know how to handle this.

"You have a scar." His voice suddenly softened and I opened my eyes, just to make sure that the same person was still there. I knew what scar he was talking about…but I tried to play it off.

"That's where Edward bit me…" I mumbled, looking away from him.

"Not that one…" he sighed "this one…" he traced over it with one of his fingers lightly. It was the scar that was a few inches below the one where Edward bit me.

"What happened?" I finally looked back over at him and let out a nervous laugh. His eyes weren't that dark anymore. And, he looked like he was in pain…or hurting somehow.

"I don't…I can't talk about it." I sighed, looking down.

But, apparently Jasper wasn't having any of that. He grabbed my face roughly…in a way that would've bruised any normal human, it just was a little uncomfortable to me.

"Tell me…" his eyes bore into mine "tell me who did this to you." He growled slightly.

Even though it shouldn't have, that just made me attracted to him even more. Oh, great.

But, if I was about to tell him this…something I hadn't told anyone before, he sure as hell was going to tell me his story.

"Fine." I sighed and he pulled away slightly "But, if I tell you….you _have_ to tell me your story."

His finger lingered on the scar for another moment or two before he let his hand drop and nodded quickly.

"Not here though…after Lilly falls asleep, come and meet me…in the tree." I nodded slowly and he backed away from me and walked out of the room.

Wait, what! What tree? Did I really just agree just to go out in middle of the night and meet up with this guy??

I stared at the closed door.

A part of me was petrified. Did I really want to know his story?

On the other hand, a part of me felt like I was being drawn to him. From what I have no idea.

But, maybe tonight I would finally get what I wanted.

To finally get to know the elusive Jasper…

It was my only hope was that I wasn't signing myself up for something I wasn't prepared to deal with.

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****How did you all like it? **

**You finally got to meet Alice's Husband & Jasper finally showed up. **

**Reviews=Love!**


	8. Dangerous Memories

_A/N: The reviews were amazing. Thanks to __**DisastrousOl'Me, xoKellyAnneexo, angelpinkgal, hayleyhoo, Rose-la Cullen, twilightaddict323, & Pandy the dandy.**_

_And special thanks to __**Snoball13 **__for giving me the idea about Jasper's history. And to my friend Manda, for helping me out in a major way! Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 8: Dangerous Memories**

**~Jasper~**

What in the world was I thinking! Did I really agree to tell her my story? I hate telling my story to people. It only makes them afraid or disgusted. Hell, it was months before I even started telling Alice and that's only because she kept asking me about it every single moment that I was with her. But, Elizabeth has only been here for a little over a week and the moment she asks me, I cave in and agree to it. What is going on here?

I don't even know her. We've barely spoken full and complete sentences to one another. Not that I don't want to get to know her. It's just that I know that I _shouldn't _get to know her. I don't want to get involved. That girl already has too much drama …and Emmett would probably kill me if the two of us ever…

"Oh get a hold of yourself Jasper…" I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I should NOT be thinking like that at all. Especially about Emmett's sister. But, she is not just that. She is the _mother _of Edward's daughter. Talk about insane. Who knew the chances of that happening was even possible.

Thank God that none of us (besides Emmett and Elizabeth) are really related. That would only make this whole situation even more awkward. It still doesn't make things any easier…with all these emotions flying everywhere.

We're just a household of crazy vampires aren't we? Well, not Esme…she's the only normal one in this family. She's such a typical mom…but I love her for it.

I glanced up at the clock in the living room. It's not quite midnight yet. Time hasn't meant that much to me in a long time. It just passes. Every hour and second, they just start to blend into one another after a period of time. But tonight, it seems as though time is of the essence. I told Elizabeth to come and meet me after her daughter falls asleep. That kid has to be asleep by now right?

Luck seemed to be on my side tonight. Because, Edward, Bella, Rose and Emmett all decided to get an early start on their hunting and left an hour or so ago. In a house where no one ever sleeps, it's pretty much impossible to have a conversation without everyone else hearing it.

Maybe I should go up there and get her? No, she said she'd meet me and she better make due on that promise.

The moment I saw that scar of hers, all I wanted was to lean down and kiss it…to somehow make the pain go away. But, that doesn't really make sense because we don't feel pain anymore. Literally of course. And, I don't think that I could make the internal pain she has on the inside go away.

Or, it just could be the fact that I pretty much had her trapped and her scent was luring me in. But, I stopped myself…I had to stop myself.

Oh God that scent. That scent that's been lingering in my mind all day and night. She left it all over my shirt. I wasn't lying when I told her it was my favorite shirt. I know that all I had to do was simply wash it and it'd be back to normal.

But, truth be told, I don't want it to go away. The scent of apple and cinnamon has been in my mind all day. I believe that is something that humans eat for breakfast. It doesn't sound to appealing to me… though, I wouldn't mind having _her_…

Jesus Jasper, get your head out of the clouds. This is the real reason that I was irritated with her.

This girl is doing things to me. She is messing with my mind it feels like. And, I don't like it. I'm so used to being in tune with people…that not knowing what's going on is so frustrating.

"Jasper?" a light voice snapped me out of my crazy thoughts. I turned to see Alice standing in the doorway to the living room, a small smile on her face.

"What is it Alice?" I can't help but smile at her. That girl is almost always happy.

"What are you doing sitting around in the living room?" she pranced over and sat beside me.

"Waiting."

"For?" she laughs. Like I have to tell her. She probably already knows everything that'll happen tonight. "Ok, ok you caught me. I know what, I mean who you're waiting for…and I just wanted to let you that it won't be much longer. She is going to come ask me in five minutes if I can keep an eye on Lilly…and then she'll leave." She said.

"I guess I should get going then?" I stood up.

"Would you like her to wear anything specific…" she stopped when I turned to glare down at her.

"We aren't going on a date Alice." I smirked "I don't care what she wears." I shrugged.

"Even that dark blue shirt of yours?" she said, her voice teasing…

"Alice…" I shut my eyes for a few seconds. "That isn't funny." I sighed. For such a small person, she sure knew how to get people going.

"Oh yes it is." She laughed. "Thank goodness I was in the living room earlier…or who knows what you would've done to that poor girl."

"You know what I would've done Alice…let's not beat around the bush. You knew the moment I saw her, dressed like that…it would've only been a matter of seconds before…" I stopped. I didn't want to think about Elizabeth like that…it was wrong of me. I didn't even know her.

"Oh Jasper…" she said after she calmed down from her burst of laughter "there's never a dull moment with you…you better get going. She's coming down in exactly two minutes." She looked up the stairs quickly and I nodded at her and made my way outside the house.

It didn't take me long to reach my destination. I always went to the same place when I needed to get away. I think each of us had a certain spot to go to when things got to chaotic or when we just wanted to be alone. Every time we moved, we had the pleasure of finding a new place to call our own.

My family laughs at me because I always pick some random tree as my getaway. I only picked it because it reminds me of my human life. What little of it I remember anyway. And, I don't want to lose whatever small memories I have.

I don't think I was sitting there for more than ten minutes before I could someone walking along the ground, making the smallest bit of noise…but it rang loud in clear to my ears.

It was Elizabeth. I knew it was her before I could see her because she was humming some song out loud. Oh and for God sakes I could smell her before she even appeared in my line of sight.

"Are you scared of the dark?" I laughed when she stopped for a second to look around, clearly unsure of where she was supposed to go. She jumped slightly at the sound of my voice before turning around to look up at me.

"Yes." She admitted as she easily made her way up to where I was sitting. "I hate the dark. Everything about it. It freaks me out."

"Why? We have perfect vision. So, it's not like you can't see…"

"I know. I still don't like the idea of being in total darkness…" she shrugged and sat beside me.

I personally loved the dark. Something about others not knowing that you're lurking in the shadows is exhilarating to me. Knowing that you can see someone and yet, they can't see you…it's somewhat exciting to me.

And now I had a girl beside me who was the complete opposite. The dark actually _scared _her. We aren't supposed to be scared of anything. I now know one of her weak spots…

"This is an interesting place to meet." She spoke after a few moment of silence. I looked at her quickly, letting my eyes roam over her for a split second before she caught me. Even in the dark I could see the black long sleeve shirt she was wearing along with a pair of jeans. The dark colors were such a beautiful contrast against her pale skin.

Did I just say beautiful? That wasn't a good sign.

"We each have our own…" I shrugged. "So, who's going to go first…me or you?" I got back to business. I needed to stay on track.

"I guess I'll go first…" she looked over at me, and I could feel that she was nervous. "I don't think I can really hear your story if I'm too nervous." She shrugged.

"Fine by me." I acted indifferent. "But, please spare me all the details I'm sure you've told everyone else already. Leave out how you lost your family, had to move and work and then one night Edward showed up and screwed everything up for you…I just want to know about this." I pointed to where her scar was underneath her shirt.

I was lying. I wanted to know _everything _about her. But, knowing everything meant being involved.

"Okay then." She sighed, she seemed a little offended that I didn't want to hear her whole story. Good. I needed her to be angry with me somewhat. "Well, when I first woke up, I was still alone somewhere. I didn't know how long it had been. A few days maybe. I was scared. I didn't know what I was and the moment I saw my reflection in a mirror, I knew something horrible had happened to me. So, I ran. I knew I couldn't have people see me like this. I went far off into no man's land where no one would ever think to look for me. I stayed there for month…until Lilly was born. And then, it was only a few days later that _he _showed up…"

"Who?" I asked the obvious question.

"His name was Michael. And, he found me a few days after Lilly was born. When I first saw him, I for sure thought he was going to kill me right then and there. His eyes were so red…just like mine. But, he didn't. Instead, he said he was going to help me and Lilly. I had no one so I went with him. He's the one who told me what I was…what I had become I mean. He took us to a small house in the middle of nowhere and told me that we were to live with him…and that we would always be protected."

"Let me guess? Things didn't end up the way you thought they would?"

"Not in the slightest. I had only been living with him for maybe a week before he told me that he had a job for me…" she paused slightly when she saw a change of emotion in my eyes.

"He said that I was the only one who could do it. He said that my beauty…my charisma would lure them in. When I asked who 'they' were, he just laughed and told me 'silly girl…why humans of course'."

I was having a really hard time concentrating on her story now. Especially the bit about her "charisma."

"He said that I didn't have a choice. That by killing innocent lives was the only way we could survive. Because we needed their blood and it was the only place we could get it. I know now that he was lying but I was a new vampire and I didn't know anything. So, I believed him. Why would he lie to me right? He was supposed to be my friend."

"So you did it then?"

"Yes." She looked away from me and out towards the dark night "It's not the proudest six months of my life. I felt so horrible every time I had to go back out and do it. To see the look in their eyes…them not knowing that their life was about to end. Michael never did it though. He said he liked it when I did it. I tried to convince him that we shouldn't kill the innocent. At least a criminal or something. Someone who at least deserved it. Though, I don't think anyone really deserves to die. In those six months, I probably killed at least fifty people…"

Fifty people? That was nothing. At least, in my eyes. She would learn that soon enough.

"So what happened after those six months?"

When she looked back at me, I was almost knocked over by the guilt and sadness that resonated off of her. Her eyes suddenly were lifeless and haunted.

"It was raining." She whispered "and there was a car accident not too far from where we lived. Even though I had just killed someone two nights before, Michael couldn't resist. They were so close…and he had to have them. There were three people in the car. A man and woman who were already dead by the time we got there. And then…then there was that little girl in the back seat. Without thinking twice, he told me to do my job. I begged with him…I begged him not to make me do it. The girl's parents were already gone and he should just take them. But, he insisted on her. Because she was the epitome of innocence and that made her irresistible to him."

I knew where this was going. She didn't have to say anymore. But, instead of wrapping my arms around her and telling her that it was okay and none of that mattered anymore, I just stayed motionless.

"You killed her didn't you?" I asked, only adding to the fire to her already growing guilt and sadness. I knew she did. Why else would she be getting so upset about this? I was acting like a jerk I know.

"I didn't want to. That little girl will always remain in my mind. I see her face all the time. I hated myself for doing that to her. Ending that sweet girl's life before it was meant to be over. She was so young. She couldn't have been more than four years old…almost the age that Lilly is now. But, it was because of Lilly that I _had _to do it."

"Why?" I was trying to keep my questions and reactions as minimal as possible. She couldn't know what I was really feeling and thinking.

"When I told him I couldn't do it, he threatened me. He said that if I didn't so my job, he would kill Lilly. He even explained in explicit detail what he would do to my baby girl. What was I supposed to do Jasper? Lilly was all I had. I couldn't have him harm her…so I had to make a choice. To either keep my daughter alive or kill an innocent child just so he could satisfy his needs."

"You did what you thought was best Elizabeth. Any mother would've done the same thing." I said and instantly regretted it.

I was comforting her and that wasn't a good thing for me to be doing.

"So, after all of that…we went back home and he kept complimenting me….saying how good of a job I was doing. I snapped after that. I told him that I couldn't do this anymore. I would not live this type of life anymore. I didn't want to kill innocent people…just because someone had turned me into a vampire. I felt like a monster for the first time and I hated myself. More than that, I was utterly disgusted at what I had done…and I knew the only way for me to change was to get away from him. Away from the life he made me lead so I told him I was leaving. And well, let's just say that didn't make him very happy." She looked up at me. This was the part I told her I wanted to hear about.

"He said that I would never leave him. That I was his for lack of a better term. And so, we fought. Because I wasn't about to spend another moment with this man. I needed to get away. I needed to protect my daughter…and being a new vampire, I was much stronger than he was and I nearly had him when…when Lilly started crying. And for that one spilt second that I looked up, he took advantage of it and turned on me. His attack on me was relentless. Although none of his hits caused any damage, his bites sure did…" she stopped and grabbed the hem of her shirt in her fingers.

No, no what was she doing??

"What are you doing? I've already seen the scar…." I tried to stop her without having to reach over and stop her myself.

"There's more than just that one." She whispered and quickly lifted the shirt over her head and carefully turned around so that her back was facing me.

It took all I had to not reach out and touch her…because the moment I saw all those marks on her, I wanted to touch them. I _needed _to feel them.

One in particular caught my eye. It was a long one that went down straight the middle of her back, along her spine. It was beautiful in a sick, twisted way.

What the hell was wrong with me? Here this girl was telling me about something traumatic that happened and I had to keep pushing back these feelings of lust to the back of my mind so she couldn't sense it.

"How did he do that?" I asked, and she knew I was talking about the big one.

"He pinned me against the wall…slamming my face against it and dug his teeth into my skin and just made his way down. I think maybe he wanted to split me in half…or I don't know." She shook her head, trying to shake off the memory of that night.

"Needless to say, I got away from him before he had a chance to hurt me more. He didn't chase after me. I'm sure he found someone new the next day anyways….and well, now here I am." She shrugged and pulled her shirt back over her head and turned back to face me.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask her now. But, again that would mean getting too involved.

"I think it's your turn Jasper." She nodded her head at me.

"Fair enough. I have to warn you though, my story doesn't have a happy ending." I sighed and she felt confused. Obviously. But, she didn't say anything.

"I guess I should start at the beginning. First off, my name wasn't originally Jasper Cullen, or even Hale. It was Whitlock actually. And I was born in 1844 in Texas."

Her eyes widened in no doubt surprise but she didn't say anything. She brought her legs up closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She knew that this was going to be a long story.

"I had my mother and father along with an older sister. Her name was Susan and I loved her very much. But, when she was sixteen and I was thirteen, our family was in dire need of money so my father arranged for her to get married to a boy from another family who had money so that they could help us out. My father got the money but we never saw my sister again. I never forgave him for what he did. And, my poor mother was too afraid of him to try and stop him from shipping off his only daughter away. I don't know what became of her. I don't know if she had children or if she was ever really happy with the person she married. I was pretty much a loner after my sister left. The only reason I stayed was because of my mother."

From the corner of my eye, I could see her smiling quickly before her face went back to stoic.

"Then, three years later, when I was almost seventeen, I met someone who brought me out of this dark place I had put myself in. Her name was Evelyn and she was the prettiest girl I had ever met. I instantly fell in love with and she did the same. Three months later, we were engaged and set to be married…" I stopped suddenly.

I hadn't talked about Evelyn in a very long time. I hadn't even told Alice about her when I told her my story. The only person in this family who knew about her was Luca. And that's only because I wasn't aware of his gift when he grabbed my arm and all my human memories flooded his. But, I made him promise me that he'd never tell anyone about her.

Why I had a sudden trust in Elizabeth was beyond me. And I didn't really like having this feeling.

"Something bad happened didn't it?"

"Two weeks before our wedding day, she disappeared. I knew something was wrong. Evelyn wouldn't have just left without telling me. She loved me far too much. For three weeks we searched for her…and then, one morning, in a few towns from where we lived….they found her."

Elizabeth didn't speak…I think she was too caught up in the story.

"She was dead. Someone brutally assaulted her and whether in the process or so she would never say anything, they killed her and left her in the middle of nowhere, all alone. Someone took her away from me. Someone took away _my _Evelyn from me. And, I'm sure that person never paid for what they did. I was so angry….I needed an escape because every man I saw walking around, I wondered if they were the one who killed her. So, I went to the only place I knew I could go to. The army."

"You ran away." She stated. I didn't answer her. I wasn't even half way done yet.

"I ranked quite high when I was in the army. Apparently I was pretty charismatic as I human." I looked at her quickly, seeing if she would catch on to that. She did. "So for two years, I fought in the army…trying to get my mind off of everything that happened to me. Then one night…I ran into three very interesting people. Well, three women to be exact."

"Vampires?" she asked but she didn't need me to answer, she already knew.

"The main one, her name was Maria and she was beautiful. Not the same beauty that Evelyn had of course. No, her beauty was almost scary. The type that made you freeze on the spot and lose all thoughts and words. She approached me and I knew I should've walked away. But, I was supposed to be a gentleman and I figured that they were lost or something so I figured I help them."

"She told me that I was a good looking young man. And then, she told me that she hoped I survived through the night. I knew right then that she was a bad girl I guess you say. I knew she was going to kill me…or at least try to anyway. But, you know what? I wanted her to kill me. I didn't want to be alive anymore. I had already spent years dead on the inside….why not just take it all away? But, fate didn't have the same idea…and instead of ending it all, I was changed into something that would live forever."

"Talk about cruel irony." She whispered to herself.

"After I woke back up as this new vampire, Maria told me that she had a job for me." Again with the same situation as her, I looked at her and she nodded. "That she wanted to take over cities and all that and she would need my help. Since I was such a charming person in my human life, I would probably be the same as a vampire. She wanted me to lure in poor humans and help her change them. I couldn't help her very much because I only ended up killing them instead of just one bite. The blood would send me into overdrive and I didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late."

"We would train them…and have them fight for Maria. Each time I trained a new vampire and they would succeed in their tasks, she would have me kill them…it wasn't easy since they were still strong. But, each time I did what she asked, she would reward me I guess you can say…with I'm sure you can figure out what." I shrugged.

"After sometime, being with Maria was just like another part of my routine. Not to say it wasn't enjoyable because it was…but, it didn't really mean anything to me and she knew that. I didn't love had and she didn't love me. We were just there to use one other. I did her dirty work and in turn, she would give me what I wanted…but the void was never fully satisfied."

"And that didn't bother you?" she frowned.

"Why would it?" I smirked "I no longer felt anything. The idea of right and wrong didn't exist to me anymore. I had nothing to lose anymore. Everything I had loved had been taken away from me. I was just pawn in her sick little game…but at least I wasn't alone physically. That is, until she left me…" I sighed.

"She left you?" she gasped. I wasn't expecting her to do that. She _shouldn't _be doing that.

"One morning when I came back from getting her some more humans…she was gone. There was no trace left of her. All three of them were gone. She left me. After everything she had put me through, she just got up and left me…." I clenched my jaw, anger flying off of me and I'm pretty sure she felt it because she looked irritated with me now. But, not intentionally of course.

"What did you do?" she breathed out, trying to calm herself down. I thought about sending her some wave of calm but maybe it would be best if she was upset with me. She looked amazing when she was angry….I shook my head of those thoughts and continued my story.

"I sure as hell didn't stay in Mexico." I mumbled "I got as far away as possible from there…roaming around aimlessly for decades, not feeling anything."

"Were you angry that you were alone?"

"Of course I was angry." I glared at her "For the third time in my life, someone left me all alone in the dust. I had been used and then just left to fend for myself. I _hated_ Maria. And, I lashed out because of it. I killed so many people Elizabeth. I didn't care who they were or the fact that they had families or not. I _wanted _to hurt them. If I had to endure this amount of pain and anger for all of eternity then they sure as well were going to suffer as well. Whoever was so unfortunate to come across me…"

She unconsciously shivered. Not because she was cold or angry. She actually felt sadness for me. Well, that was a first.

"But, Alice found you eventually…and then, things got better?" she asked hopefully.

"No, not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was nice to hear that she had been looking for me. She told me all about her vision of us being together and how we were supposed to live with this Cullen family. I had nothing to lose so I just went with her. We looked for them for almost two years and then poor Alice…she fell in love with me." I shook my head. What she ever saw in me I will never know.

"But the feeling wasn't mutual?"

"No. Well, yes. But, not that kind of love. It was more of a thankful love. That's why I agreed to marry her later on. Because she had pretty much saved me when I was all alone with no one. That girl never judged me…she just took me in. I wanted her to be happy. Luckily, she had a vision before we got married about her soul mate and such…and she went out and found him. And the two of us have been friends ever since."

"I don't get it Jasper. You said that your story didn't have a happy ending. You got a new family to live with. You're never alone."

"Just because you have a house full of people, it doesn't mean you aren't alone on the inside. Besides, Alice forgot to mention one little small thing before we moved in with the Cullens."

"What?"

"They don't drink the blood of humans. Only animals." I rolled my eyes slightly. "You know how hard it was to all the sudden have to switch? I hated it…I still do."

"Like going from chocolate to lemons?" she tried to make an analogy out of it.

"Sure, if you want to look at it that way."

"Wait…you say that you still hate it? Does that mean that you wish that you could still go the other way?"

"Yes. It's not such a pain anymore…but, there are definite times when I'm tempted."

Her head suddenly snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"What about Lilly? She's half human." She stared at me.

"If I tell you, you aren't going to rip my head off are you…or go run and tell Edward?"

"Why would I tell him…oh, God." She covered her mouth with her hand "You wanted to hurt Lilly?? And I left you in room alone with her…oh what was I thinking??" she started to freak out on me.

I couldn't help but smile slightly. Anger looked especially good on her.

In the midst of me staring at her, I hadn't noticed that she had jumped down from the tree, landing on the ground with such ease. She looked like she was going to run away from me. And, I couldn't let that happen. Within a few seconds, I was down on the ground as well and I stopped her from going anywhere.

I pushed her against the base of the tree. Maybe a little too forceful than was needed.

"I wouldn't have hurt her. Emmett would never let me see the light of day again." I said to her as calmly as possible. "And Edward probably wouldn't have been to happy with me either." I surged and backed up away from her slightly.

She just stared at me wide-eyed. Those big brown eyes….

"Why were you so nice to me that first night I came here?" she changed the subject. Good, I didn't want her to keep thinking about how I almost attacked her daughter while she was sleeping. "I mean, I have a pretty good idea as to why but, I just want to make sure."

"Tell me why you think so and I'll tell you if you're right or wrong."

"Because Edward is your brother…and you'd do anything to protect him?"

I just laughed at that statement.

"That couldn't be further from the truth. I personally think Edward deserved what was coming from you. But, I had to look at things in a bigger way. If I let you go and attack Edward again, it probably would've made Bella very upset. That girl goes insane when it comes to him. And, she or Edward would've probably gone after you in retaliation. And, if either of them harmed a hair on your head, things wouldn't have ended up too good. Our family would've been ripped apart…maybe literally. So, I thought it was best to stop you."

"You thought all that in five seconds?"

"Yes." I lied. "Although now that I think about it, it would've been nice to see you go after one of them. To see you give into the animal side…" that was the truth.

"Oh. Well thanks for that I guess." She didn't know what else to say as she looked up into the dark sky.

"I think it's best we get back." I turned from her and started walking back towards the house. She didn't follow me for quite some time. I was almost at the house when I felt her coming up from behind me.

"Jasper?" she called my name and grabbed hold of my arm lightly. But, it was enough to send a million shockwaves throughout my system.

"Thanks" she smiled slightly, her hand still touching me. "Thanks for telling me your story. I think I have a better understanding of you now…everything that happened to you though…"

No, no I couldn't have her feeling sorry for me. I quickly moved away from her, staring at her with no emotion.

"Elizabeth, I don't want your pity alright? I only told you because you told me yours. Please don't feel sorry for me…because I don't feel sorry for you." I said, blocking all of my real emotions so that she could only feel my feelings of indifference.

It seemed to work because she looked…she looked disappointed when I told her this.

"Ok, well...Alright then." She whispered and walked into the house.

I thought about going into the house as well but my mind and feet had a different idea and I turned right back around and ran. I ran until I was somewhere back in the forest. I slumped down against a tree and silently cursed myself.

I told her I didn't feel sorry for her. That wasn't further from the truth. I wanted to go and rip the person who gave her all those scars to shreds.

She thinks she has a better understanding of me now. She has no idea.

Sure I told her my story…but, there was a pretty big part that I left out.

Sighing, I rolled up one of my sleeves and glared at the scars that stared me back in the face.

Elizabeth and I had so much in common. The losses, the pain, the fact that we were both used by horrible people…and yet, I didn't have the courage to show her my scars.

I felt like she had told me _everything _and yet, I showed her _nothing. _

I can't let Elizabeth see me like this.

I've spent far too many decades trying to forget about the ones who left or did me wrong.

And, Jasper Hale isn't about to be broken down by another woman.

She will not break me…I won't let her.

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**~How was Jasper's POV?? I made this chapter especially long this time! Review=LOVE!~**


	9. Birthday Party

_A/N: To my amazing reviewers from last time: __**twilightaddict323, tomatosoup, Amanda, hayleyhoo, xoKellyAnneexo, Snoball13 and snoodles….**__this chapter and the one that follows is for you guys!_

_Enjoy!_

_

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_**Chapter 9: Birthday Party**

**~Elizabeth~**

It's been two weeks since that conversation with Jasper.

And that was the last time I talked to him.

He's been avoiding me like a plague…and it's starting to take a toll on me.

I hardly ever see him either. Especially since Lilly and I moved out of his room two days after our "talk." Esme had so kindly decorated a spare bedroom so that we could stay there…permanently.

I'm beginning to think that maybe staying here for good isn't that good of an idea anymore.

"And why's that?" a voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I jumped a little. I turned to see Edward standing in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest.

"What's with you vampires and sneaking up on people?" I sat set down the book I was reading and stood up.

"Last time I checked, you were one of us."

"Yea, thanks to a certain someone…" I rolled my eyes.

"Have you been hanging out with Jasper?" he asked and I could feel a sudden twinge at the mention of his name.

"What makes you think that?" I asked, hoping desperately that my thoughts wouldn't slip back to that night…I didn't want him to know.

"You're more moody than usual." He simply stated.

"I'm not moody."

"Oh yes you are. I mean, granted you and I don't have the most pleasant of conversations with one other but I at least thought we were getting somewhere with one another…almost friends maybe? But lately…you seem more distant and cold." He said the latter part softer, as if he didn't want to hurt my feelings.

"Well first off, we aren't friends Edward. I told you already, the only reason I'm making an effort to even be in the same room as you is because of our daughter. I've only lived here for a month. It takes way longer than that to forgive someone…at least, to me it does. I don't hate you as much as I did before but, I don't really like you either…"

"Fair enough. I apologize." He nodded. "But, you didn't answer my original question."

"I thought you were joking?" I bit my lip. Stupid move because you can tell when someone's nervous when they bite their lips.

"I was…" he looked at me oddly, probably racking my brain for some information.

"Can you stop that? Does it look like I've been hanging out with Jasper? The guy can barely stand being around me…." I stopped when I noticed when my voice changed a little bit, expressing emotion for someone I shouldn't be.

"Elizabeth…" he stepped into the room now and came closer to me. "I know what you do is none of my business but, you are the mother of my child and whether you like it or not, I do care about you in my own way…so, please don't take offense when I say that Jasper isn't really the best…"

"Stop.." I put my hands up in surrender. I didn't want to hear this.

He didn't stop.

"I don't think he would be the best person for someone like you to get involved with."

Wait, what!

"What do you mean someone like me?" he just took a deep breath.

_You and I know both know that you easily give into people Elizabeth, because you are a good person at heart. You're compassionate and you can't help but want to see the good in all people…and I can tell you right now, Jasper has much more bad in his system than good. _

His thoughts were like a slap in the face. I was beyond angry. Not at Edward but at myself. Because he was right…I was too nice for my own good.

And, maybe that's why I was having such a hard time with this…because there had a been a part of me that was hoping that after our talk, Jasper would be more receptive to me…more willing to open to me and tell me things. And like Edward thought, I couldn't help but try to find some good in him. Well, try was the key word. It was kind of hard when the guy wouldn't even give me a second glance.

_You're right…I mean, I thought you were a good person, and looked how that turned out. _

"Promise me you won't get involved with him?" he said, his voice suddenly growing serious and concerned. As if he thought that something had already happened between us.

"Ok." I shrugged. I wasn't lying to him. Because, to be involved meant participation from both people. And, Jasper wasn't giving me the time of day so there was no way we'd ever be "involved" as far as he was concerned.

"I do hope you're right."

"Anyways…" I changed the subject "what brought you up here in the first place? Besides to have our daily argument?"

"Well, I know that today is a very special day." He glanced towards the bed where Lilly was asleep on the bed.

"How did you know?"

"Alice." He said simply.

"Oh, well…that makes sense then."

"Why didn't you tell us that today was her birthday Elizabeth?"

I just flashed him a semi-sad smile.

"Because I've never been able to give her the proper celebration every little girl deserves on her birthday. Every year, I was lucky if I was able to get her a slice of cake or something small for her special day."

"Well, that's all going to change today." He smiled at me. "She's going to have the best fourth birthday anyone has ever seen."

"You guys are too much you know that?"

"Nonsense…you're both family now…twice actually."

"What?"

"Well, you're family in two ways. Being as you are Emmett's actual sister and Lilly is his niece. And then you're also family because she is my daughter…"

"That sounds so…so weird to be honest. But, I guess anything in this world is possible right?"

"Exactly. Now, I'll leave you and Lilly to get ready…and I'll see you two downstairs." He nodded and walked out of the room.

I quickly got dressed before I even attempted to wake up Lilly and get her going.

She seemed to know that today was a special day because she happily just let me get her dressed in one of the dresses I had gotten for her and let me pull all her hair up…with a ribbon to top it off. She never looked so girly before and I think she loved it.

"Come on beautiful, I think everyone's waiting downstairs for us." I grabbed her hand and walked with her into the living room.

Just as suspected, everyone was sitting in the living room, all conversation coming to a halt when we walked in.

"Lilly!" Emmett jumped up and scooped her up in his arms before giving her a good twirl around. She just giggled like man woman. "Happy birthday sweetheart." He kissed her cheek and set her down. And in a blink of an eye, she ran towards Edward…I mean, her dad and he embraced her tightly.

I have to admit, seeing her so loving with him was still just a little awkward. But, Lilly had no idea what happened before she came along…how _she _was the result of something traumatic that happened to me. It was my hope that perhaps she would never find out about what happened.

I may still hate Edward but I wouldn't dream of shattering my little girl's love for her father.

"I didn't know what type of cake she liked so I just went with chocolate because all kids like chocolate…or at least that's what the guy at the bakery told me." Alice walked in, holding a cake in her hands…a big one at that.

"She'll be eating cake for weeks." I laughed.

Edward and I helped her "cut" it and watched as she enjoyed it. At one point, she placed one of her tiny hands on my cheek, smearing chocolate frosting on my face.

I frowned but just let it slip by…

_Eat It. _Lilly's thoughts came into my mind but I was confused when I saw that she wasn't looking at me…but rather, looking at her father. He had the same odd expression on his face as well.

And then it hit me.

Lilly thought that there was something going on between Edward and I. And, why wouldn't she? She was just a little girl…and we were her parents. No one had really told her that he was married to Bella and that I wasn't in love with him.

For a four year old, my daughter was pretty smart.

"Lilly baby, how about we keep the cake on your plate and in your mouth okay?" I smiled, a little nervously and wiped the food off my face with a napkin.

"Kay." She sauntered off and sat with Esme and Carlisle.

"Sorry about that." I apologized and turned to look at Edward.

"No, no…if anyone should apologize, it's me. I'm going to have to tell her that Bella and I are married."

"She's just a child. She might not understand…or maybe she will I don't know. Lilly's a pretty keen observer for the most part."

"Presents!" Alice clapped her hands sometime later and picked up Lilly and sat her on her lap.

"This one is from me and Luca." She beamed and handed Lilly a little box. She opened it quickly and squealed in excitement and threw her arms around Alice.

"Pretty!" was all I heard as she ran from Alice to Luca who tentatively hugged her back. I think he was still getting used to the fact that there was a child in the house.

"You're welcome _preziosa…_" he smiled that still sort of creepy smile.

"What does that mean?" I looked over at Edward.

"I think it means precious in Italian."

"Aw, that was so cute…" I gushed for a moment but then stopped, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Look mommy…" she ran up to and showed me what was in the little box. It was a small gold bracelet with her name engraved on it. "wear it?" she looked up at me.

"Of course…here, let me help you." I took it out and carefully clasped it around her wrist.

"Our turn." Esme and Carlisle went and handed her a box which on the inside held a ton of art supplies.

"They say it's good for children to explore their creativity as much as possible and from what I see, Lilly loves to color…so she should have a field day with this."

Emmett and Rosalie went next, giving her a huge doll house and some other little toys.

Lilly was in heaven when we heard someone clear their throat. I looked back and much to my surprise saw Jasper standing there, a small package in his hands.

"Can I mommy?" she tugged on the hem of my dress, snapping me from my locked gaze with him.

"Mhm." I nodded. God, he hasn't said anything to me for two weeks and the moment he makes _one _small gesture, I'm practically weak in the knees. She walked over to him and he knelt down so that he was at eye level with my daughter.

"Now Miss Lilly…" he spoke, the Southern Accent washing over me like tidal wave that I couldn't help but smile the smallest smile. "I've had this book for quite some time but, I think that someone as special as you deserves to have it now." He handed her the package which was obviously a book and she tore the paper off and held it up and looked back at him, her eyes wide in excitement.

"A book…" she giggled

"Not just any book honey…" Oh god, the way he just said that…focus Elizabeth! "They are stories and fairytales that my mother used to tell me when I was younger…"

"Your mommy?" she smiled.

"Yes." He nodded quickly "and maybe…" his glance raised at me for a split second "maybe your mom can read them to you?"

She just nodded, clutching the book tightly in her arms.

"Thank you Jasperr…" she wrapped her little arms around him, laughing when his hair tickled her cheek. The way she said his name was so adorable.

"You're very welcome Miss Lilly. You promise me you'll take good care of it?"

"Promise."

The way that Jasper was interacting with Lilly at this very moment, it was almost like a complete one eighty of the Jasper I talked to two weeks ago.

Maybe this was the real him? No…Yes? Oh, I don't know.

God, this guy was making my head spin with confusion.

"Lilly baby, can you come here for a moment?" Edward called her, breaking the little moment between Jasper and Lilly. I frowned. It was such a cute moment and it was obvious the hint of tension in Edward's voice.

I'm guessing the warning to not get involved with him didn't just apply for him.

From the looks of things, Edward wanted Jasper and Lilly to have no interaction whatsoever with one another.

"Kay daddy." She patted Jasper's cheek quickly and was one her way back to Edward, who was sitting at the piano.

Lilly had touched his cheek. She only did that when she wanted to show affection. She had affection for Jasper now? Or was she just happy that he gave her a cool book?

"Would you like your present from me now sweetie?" he asked and she nodded, still holding the book and sitting beside him on the piano bench.

"Well, your gift is a song Lilly. I wrote it for you…" he smiled gently at her and then began playing the song for her. It was beautiful I admit. And it was so soothing too. This was definitely a lullaby of some sort.

I looked around the room and saw that everyone was entranced with the song. The melody washing over them, causing them to turn to the ones they loved or to intertwine hands.

I watched as Bella placed a loving hand on Edward's shoulder.

I had no one to lean on or gaze upon so I just focused on the piano keys and how when they moved, it created such beautiful music.

I was so into the music that I wasn't prepared for when a strong wave of jealousy hit me. I turned quietly and found the only person it could possibly be coming from.

And there he was…standing against one of the door ways, arms folded with that same emotionless face.

What in the world could be jealous of? The music? Jealous of the gift Edward gave to Lilly? That was preposterous…she loved Jasper's gift just as much too.

But, more importantly, why did he care so much?

This guy's mood swings were starting to give me whiplash.

After the song was over…it was my turn to give Lilly her gift. It was actually something I had put away from quite some time now.

"Lilly baby can you come here?" I called her softly and when she did, I got down on my knees so I could see her. "this is for you angel…" I gave her a small box as well. She opened it and pulled out the silver locket that was on the inside. On the inside, there was a picture of her when she was about two years old. And then on the other side, there was a picture of both myself and Edward when we were younger.

"Let me see that…" Edward laughed and Lilly handed it to him, a smile on her face.

"Where on earth did you find this picture?" he looked over at me.

"Bella helped me…" I nodded towards her.

"I love it mommy…" she held the necklace in one hand and was still holding her book with the other.

"Can I get a hug?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sorry mommy…" she wrapped her arms around me "I love you…" she mumbled against my shoulder.

"I love you so much baby…did you have a good birthday?"

"Bestest birthday ever…"

"Oh!" both Lilly and I jumped a little when he heard Alice yelp from her spot on the couch, a big smile across her face.

"What did you see dear?" Luca leaned over and asked her.

"What do you think Elizabeth?" she just looked up at me, her eyes hopeful.

Being as she and I were in the same room, I was able to have the same vision as she did.

All I saw were a bunch of people swimming…perhaps in a lake or something.

"Are you going swimming?" I asked her.

"Well, and whoever wants to come…but I'd love to take Lilly. I have a feeling that she'd love it."

"Lilly baby, would you like to go hang out with Aunt Alice for awhile…and go swimming?" I looked at my daughter and she nodded quickly.

"So, who's going to come with?" Alice stood, already making her way upstairs to change.

"I'd love to but I'm due back at the hospital in an hour." Carlisle shook his head.

Luca agreed, just because Alice was going. Emmett and Rosalie declined because they were going on a "date" somewhere. Esme said she'd go to get some drawing down out there.

"Can we go Edward, I think it'd be fun…and you can bond with Lilly."

"Would that be okay with you Elizabeth?" he looked over at me.

"Yes…" I sighed, he didn't need permission to spend time with her, no matter how uncomfortable I still felt "She needs at least one parent with her."

"You aren't going?"

"I don't really like swimming." I lied and it worked because they believed it.

"I guess we can count Jasper out." Alice looked around the room to find that he already left somewhere.

"He wouldn't go anyways dear…you know how he gets about the…" Luca stopped when Alice stared up at him quickly and he nodded his head in silence.

That was odd. I wonder what Luca knew. Probably everything since he could see everyone's past even if we didn't want to share it.

"Okay Lilly…you be careful okay?" I looked down at Lilly after they all got ready to leave. I knew nothing could possibly happen to her but, this was my baby "you stay with your daddy okay?"

"Kay mommy, I love you…" I hugged her once more as she set off with the rest of them as the others departed.

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	10. Let Me In

_**Chapter 10: Let Me In**_

After they left, I spent some time cleaning the living room and then took the gifts she got and put them away upstairs.

I'm sure I would have a few hours to kill so I just settled in the big chair in my room and began reading the book I was reading earlier.

I had been in the room for about thirty minutes when I felt another presence in the room. They were letting off a sense of confusion.

There was only one person that I could feel emotions when I was around them.

"Can I help you?" I looked up and saw him standing in my doorway, trying to gather the courage to walk into my room.

"Why didn't you join the swimming festivities?" he finally walked in and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not really into swimming." I shrugged.

"Bull…" he scoffed "you didn't want them to see the scars. That's why you didn't go."

Sighing, I set the book on my lap and looked back up at him.

I wanted to be angry at him but I couldn't for two reasons. One, he was absolutely right. Two, I couldn't be angry with him when he was staring at me with those amber colored eyes of his.

"I'm not ready to explain it to the rest of them just quite yet…"

"That's no excuse."

"Why do you care if I went or not?"

"So, you're okay with just sending your daughter out and not go along?"

"Edward's there. She is his daughter too. I don't appreciate you trying to question my parenting skills."

"You're right…you're just mother of the year aren't you?" he smirked slightly.

"Are you done being a jerk?"

"For now." he shrugged.

I think there was a part of him that enjoyed the fact that he could irritate me faster than anyone else.

"So, what about you tough guy…how come you didn't want to go?" I changed the subject.

"I don't swim." He said simply, as if that was supposed to be a good enough answer for him to give me. "and maybe I just wanted to come and talk with you." He threw in there after a few moments of silence.

"You're kidding me right? This isn't really what I call talking…it's more like you harassing me and giving me a hard time."

"Oh poor you." He rolled his eyes "spare me for being the only one who doesn't walk around eggshells around you."

At the rate he was going, he was going to make me explode with all the emotions he was making me feel.

"What are you talking about?" I stood up, throwing my book on the chair and walking over to him.

"Don't act like everyone doesn't treat you as if you are about to break into a million pieces. They feel bad because of what happened to you…they're being nice because Edward screwed up. They took you in because you're Emmett's sister. You really think Carlisle and Esme were going to turn you away…you have a kid for God's sake."

"If you have such a strong dislike towards me…then why were you so nice to Lilly a little while ago."

"She doesn't have anything to do with this. She isn't at fault here."

"Oh, and I am?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then what is it you're trying to tell me because I'm having a hard time trying to figure you out…" I went against my better judgment and sat on the bed beside him.

"Look Elizabeth…" he turned and faced me "I'm not saying these things to sound like a jerk…I'm saying them so that you know where we stand." really? Could've fooled me.

"Where we stand! Jasper, two weeks ago, you told me about your past and I told you about my scars. And then, you go and tell me that you have no pity on me….and then that's it. You haven't so much as glanced at me in two weeks…so, as far as where we stand, we stand nowhere because you want nothing to do with me."

"You _shouldn't _want anything to do with me. I'm no good." His voice took on a different tone and I was thrown off for a moment.

Jasper suddenly reminded me of someone I used to work with about a year ago. She was always saying these mean and horrible things to people and it took me a long time to figure out why she was like that. What it came down to was that she had a horrible life…and she had grown used to shutting people off from her because she was afraid to let anyone in and hurt her again.

Slowly, I reached over and grabbed his hand in mine. He made no attempts to move it so I decided to push my luck a little.

"That's not true." I whispered. "All you have to do is let me…" I stopped when his head snapped up and he glared down at me.

"Don't even say it." His voice was cold and it scared me a little. But, I couldn't chicken out now. I had him here now…I wasn't about to lose this chance.

"Just let me Jasper…" I continued, my left hand still clasped with his and I tentatively reached up with my left and skimmed my fingertips lightly on the side of his face.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed when he didn't have any reaction to me. He just kept his eyes down, staring at our hands.

"Please…" I tried to be as calm as possible but my voice betrayed me and I sounded like I was almost on the verge of pleading with him.

Funny thing, I didn't really know what it I was trying to get out of him. Anything really would be great.

And then, I did probably the most irrational thing I could've done.

Though he couldn't see me, he could probably feel and sense me and yet, he still made no move to stop me when I leaned ever so slowly towards him until I was able to his own breath along with my own.

Still with no attempts to stop me, I moved closer and closer until I was _this _close….when he quickly let go of my hand and roughly turned my face, detouring me from my destination.

But, if I was angry, I suddenly didn't remember the moment I felt his breath against my ear.

"_Please…_" his voice echoed mine for a split second "leave me alone…" he finished his statement.

"I can't." I answered, but I couldn't see him because his hand was still holding its grasp on my face. But, my hands were now free and I slowly made worked my way, until my hands were just on top of the collar of his shirt.

In a fraction of a second, I unknowingly crossed some sort of forbidden boundary with him and I felt him tense up.

But then, an odd sound came from him and before I knew it, there were two hands locked on my wrists and I was being pushed back down onto the bed.

As terrified as I should've been, there was a part of me that was feeling dizzy from all the emotions swirling around the room.

Good thing I don't need to breathe otherwise I would have been hyperventilating the moment I felt him lean against me, almost coming face to face with this guy who had been the sole basis of all my thoughts for the past two weeks.

And let me tell you, two weeks for a vampire is like months to a normal human.

I was afraid, intrigued and dare I say it…turned on?

I knew he could feel what I was feeling and I didn't care. I wanted him to know what he was doing to me. I was tired of pushing and not have him push back.

But, any thoughts of excitement melted away when I eventually came face to face with those eyes of his.

They reflected nothing of what I was feeling.

If anything, he was _angry _with me.

"Get up…" he commanded to me harshly but I didn't budge. I think I was frozen in fear by both his voice and eyes. When I didn't move quickly enough, he picked me up all on his own and carried me into the bathroom and not so gently put me inside of the bathtub. I was about to say something to him when he reached over and turned on the water, blasting my face with cold water.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled at him, trying to turn it off but he just brushed my hands away.

Even with my perfect vision, it was temporary being blocked by all the water.

When I tried to stand up, I actually slipped back down he was hitting me with the water that intensely.

"You need to get the scent off of you…" was all he said before shutting the shower curtain and leaving. I pulled it back quickly, fully prepared to yell at him but he was already long gone, with the door shut behind him.

I reached over and snapped the water off and just sat there for a few moments.

Now that I was by myself, I could see now what he was talking about.

I did smell like _him_.

I quickly stood and washed my hair and body until the only thing I could smell was the scent of the bath products I used.

I changed and walked back out into my room. I stood in the middle of my room for a few minutes, looking over at the bed, trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened.

"What do I do?" I whispered to myself. I knew the smart thing would be for me to just stay right where I was and try to keep as much distance from Jasper Hale as possible.

He had just made it very evident that he didn't want anything to do with me.

But, no matter how loud my head was screaming at me to just stay put, my legs were already carrying me out of the room.

Because, I wasn't just about to let this slip by and fade away like it didn't just happen.

I had pushed Jasper…and he pushed back.

Only, he was pushing me away.

And, for some reason, that didn't sit well with me. I knew I should be minding my own business but….I wanted to know.

No, I _needed _to know why he was treating me like this.

He obviously wasn't in the house anymore and as I walked out the back door, the sun was beginning to set and fade away as a dark cloud suddenly appeared over my head as I began walking out.

By the time I reached that stupid tree of his, it had begun to sprinkle a little bit.

"Jasper…" I said his name softly, knowing he could hear me "I know you're around here somewhere…so stop avoiding me and just come out….we aren't finished." My eyes swept over my surroundings for a second before he emerged, standing ten feet away from me, his eyes holding nothing in them.

I closed my eyes for a brief second, hoping I could 'borrow' some of his gift to see what he was feeling.

He must've caught on because he quickly shut off all his emotions. But, not before I was able to feel just the smallest hint of pain and confusion.

"I hurt you." I said, when he made no attempt to say anything.

"No, no you didn't." he scoffed.

"Yes, I did…"

"No, Elizabeth you didn't. Because guess what? You don't matter enough to me to hurt me…" his words were like knives to my non-beating heart.

"You don't mean that." Was all I could come up with.

"We're done." He said and turned to walk away.

I couldn't let him.

"No, please!" I yelled and ran over to him and grabbed his arm, locking my grasp around him.

"Leave Elizabeth…" he mumbled to me, neither of us noticing that it had begun raining more now.

"No…" I stood my ground "You can't keep pushing me away…" anger was laced in my voice.

He just stared off into the forest before us. I walked around him so that we were face to face.

"You say that I don't matter to you….but _you _matter to me."

"You don't know anything about me." He said, clenching his jaw.

"I would if you would just let me in…" I tried to reason with him but, I was only making him more upset it seemed.

"I'm no good for you Elizabeth…and you know it. You only are here because I've been avoiding you and it makes you feel unwanted…which is good because I'm the last person who should be wanting you."

I decided to just go for it.

"Do you want me?"

"No." he said quickly.

"You're lying." I frowned. Which, I didn't know that. For all I knew he really didn't want me.

He smirked before shaking out of my grasp.

"I don't want you." He repeated "I _can't _want you…"

And, for the second time in one day, grabbed my wrists with one of his hands while the other reached up to the collar of his shirt.

I stood, with curious and nervous eyes as he began undoing the buttons, stopping at the fourth one.

"Jasper what are you…" I stopped when my eyes focused on the area of now exposed skin. He dropped my wrists and my hand covered my mouth when a loud gasp escaped my lips.

There, right in front of my eyes…were scars.

Scars that I was all too familiar with.

"You…" I whispered when anger suddenly overtook me "why didn't you tell me!" I yelled at him, pushing his roughly away from me. Since I was still younger than he was, I was still a bit stronger than he was so he stumbled a foot or so from me.

He didn't answer me…and I walked up to him, prepared to push or hit him or something when he grabbed my hands.

"Let me go!" I tried to pull away but it didn't work this time.

"This…" he pushed me now roughly "is why I keep pushing you away…" his voice was low and dark as I felt my back coming in contact with a tree or something.

Another moment of close contact and I felt like I was about to fall over…but, unlike before, it didn't look like he was making any attempts to pull away now.

"I told you…" he growled slightly "I told you to leave me alone…" he pressed up against me with enough force that would suffocate a normal person "and now, you leave me with no choice…" he whispered and it felt like my knees were about to give out.

The last time someone said that to me, it was before Edward tried to kill me.

Was this some sort of sick, cruel irony? I had been trying too hard to reach this guy…only to have him kill me?

But, what happened next…I don't think either of us expected to happen….

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	11. When It Rains It Pours

_A/N: I got TWELVE reviews for the last chapter. I don't I've ever gotten that many reviews for one chapter. Ever! So, because you all made me so happy, I worked extra hard to get this chapter out to you earlier...so, suspense no more! Enjoy:_

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_**Chapter 11: When It Rains It Pours**

My hands were frozen at my side. For the life of me, I couldn't bring myself to pick them up and try and stop him.

Maybe there was a part of me that thought that he wasn't going to kill me so, I wasn't about to stop him.

I don't know how long his eyes were locked with mine. It could've been a few seconds or twenty minutes for all I know.

His face came closer to me and I shut my eyes. I didn't want to see what he was about to. Because, I may not know a whole lot about vampire life but I know that you cannot simply kill one. There are a lot of steps involved. Steps that include tearing and burning. And, I didn't feel like being witness to the first step.

Then, something hit me. If he was about to kill me, I should at least get the last word right?

I opened my eyes to say something but I instantly closed them again when I felt it.

A pair of lips against my skin. But, not just anywhere. Against my ill fated scar.

And, let me tell you, it had to be the most amazing feeling I've ever experienced.

"You're a hypocrite." I finally breathed out shakily.

I could feel his lips twist into a small smile against me.

Only he would pick _that _spot to start with.

But, something unexpected happened next.

He didn't bite me. He didn't do anything painful to me in fact. He raised his head from the spot so that we were face to face again.

"And so what if I am?" he asked me, almost as if he was daring me to respond to that.

I didn't answer him. I had no answer to that.

"That's what I thought." He said when I just stayed silent. But, my hand was no longer silent. It had broken out of its frozen position. Without even thinking, my right hand went up and straight for the area of skin that was showing.

"Don't." he said harshly grabbing my hand in his left before I could even go near him.

He kissed it quickly before placing both of our hands on my cheek.

"Please." My voice pleaded with him. What I was pleading for I wasn't entirely sure of.

Pleading to let me touch the scars or pleading for him to kiss me again…or a combination of both.

"You can't. You've already seen too much." He said, a hint of disgust in his voice.

"There's more?"

"I'm sorry Elizabeth." Those eyes locked with mine again "But this. You and I. Us. It can't happen…I won't let it happen."

"Why?" I pouted slightly and he gave me a half smile at that expression.

"I would only hurt you." He gave me his lame excuse.

"I can handle pain." I said, trying to be strong. But, at the moment, I was anything but.

He closed his eyes again and placed his forehead against mine and I took the moment to take in everything. His scent, the way that hair of his fell over and mixed with mine.

"You have no idea what you're saying. I have a hard time trying to control myself whenever I'm around you…you make me feel things that I shouldn't be feeling. I refuse to feel them."

I should've took his words seriously but all I was focused on was those lips moving, right on the side of my face.

"But…" I began to say when I heard someone approaching. Jasper must've heard it too because he instantly dropped my hand and backed away a few feet from me.

"There you are!" A loud voice called and I knew that voice could only belong to one person.

"Hey Emmett." I moved away from the tree, away from Jasper and walked over to my brother.

"What are you doing out here Lizzie? In the rain no less?" he laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Well, why you guys were all gone, I got bored so I decided to come out and talk a walk. I must've lost track of time." I said, in the best convincing voice I had.

"Oh, yea I know what you mean." He nodded and turned to Jasper who was now walking in front of us back to the house. "What about you Jazz? Come out for a walk too?"

"Something like that." Was all he said when he turned to look at us for a few seconds.

"Weirdo." My brother laughed loudly, shaking my shoulders when he laughed.

Weirdo wasn't exactly the word I'd use to describe him and what just happened but I couldn't tell him that.

"Oh, it looks like everyone's back already. They probably couldn't swim that good with all that rain." Emmett nodded towards the house and I could see shadows moving around in the living room. I could hear Lilly laughing at something Edward had just told her.

Oh God, Edward. Emmett I could convince I was taking a walk. But Edward, he had access to every thought in my head. I tried to push everything to the back of my mind as if it never happened. Not that I was afraid of what he would say…well, no I was afraid of what would happen if he knew.

I walked inside the house, Emmett's arm still around my shoulder. I was so glad for that. I needed some type of support even if he didn't know he was giving it.

"Mommy!" Lilly smiled when she saw me and I walked over to her and bent down to her level.

"You're wet." She looked at me a bit confused when she took in my appearance. "Why?" she tilted her head to look at me.

"I went for a walk and it started raining. But, it's okay…I'm going to go change right now." I kissed her forehead and she laughed when some of my wet hair got in her face.

"Eww, mommy…stop." She giggled some more.

"I'll be back baby." I stood up and made my way upstairs to change.

"Jasper, why are you wet? Did you walk with mommy too?" I heard Lilly ask Jasper and I froze in the middle of changing.

"Yea Miss Lilly, we talked for a little bit. I hope you don't mind." He said to her sweetly.

"No, mommy likes to talk to people." There was a pause and then I heard "Daddy what's wrong?"

Oh great.

"Stay here with Bella okay baby?" his voice was hard and I heard him get up off the couch. Why in the world would he tell her to sit with Bella??

Oh God, focus Elizabeth! This so wasn't the issue at hand.

I quickly pulled another shirt over my head just as the door swung opened.

"Just what in the world were you doing Elizabeth?" I jumped slightly at the ice in his voice when he walked straight towards me.

From the look on his face, I swear to God it looked like he was going to hit me or something.

"What are you talking about?" I stammered, trying to regain some sort of composure. I failed miserably.

"Don't play stupid with me Elizabeth…" he gripped the top of my arms "I saw it…I saw it all. You might have been able to keep your thoughts from me but Jasper doesn't have much control."

"Why do you care so much Edward? Last time I checked, you weren't my father. This has nothing to do with you."

"No, but you're the mother or my daughter…and when it comes to her, it _does _concern me."

"Jasper is no threat to Lilly and you know that. He has been nothing but kind and sweet to her."

"Jasper is the worst type of person to get involved with. I told you not to. And not a few hours later, he's literally attacking you."

"He wasn't attacking me." I smirked "And we aren't involved."

"Keep telling yourself that Elizabeth. Jasper has everything to attract you to him. The darkness he surrounds himself with, the tumultuous past…those scars of his…" he scoffed slightly "Everything to lure in a sweet girl like you…and you're pretty stupid for falling for it."

"I'm not stupid." I sighed, looking up to meet his gaze "I just wanted to know…"

He let go of my arms and began pacing around the room.

"Well, your curiosity may just end up costing you everything…" he stopped and looked at me.

"What?"

"I can't have Lilly being around Jasper. He's too dangerous. And, from the looks of things, you have no intention of stopping your little escapade with him…"

"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked, but already fearing his response.

"I will do whatever it takes to make sure Lilly is safe…"

"No!" I screamed, everything clicking in my mind and I crossed the room to stand in front of him "Please Edward, you can't possibly be thinking that…no, no…she is my everything. She is _my _little girl."

"You're putting her in danger every moment you spend with Jasper…"

"No please." I gripped his shirt in my hands "You can't take her away. I promise you she'll always be safe…nothing bad will ever happen to my baby."

"But Jasper…" he started up again.

"Jasper nothing! He is your brother Edward! He would never do anything to harm Lilly…I know he wouldn't."

"You know nothing about him…Jasper isn't a good person. He's had a very tough existence since his change."

"But he isfamily Edward! Does that mean nothing to you…you really think he'd do something horrible to our daughter?"

"No." he said and I did a double take I was that stunned at his response.

"Wait, what is this all about?" I let go of him and backed up a little.

"I'm afraid that if you continue this with Jasper, and the two of you get even more involved with one another, you're going to want him to take the place of Lilly's father…and just shut me out and away from her."

"That will never happen." I whispered.

"How do you know?"

"Because you're the only father that Lilly will ever have. Even if Jasper and I ever became something.." I took a deep breath. "I would never make him or anyone else take the place of you. We may not be on good terms still but I wouldn't dream of doing that to you."

This explained everything. As to why he was so tense when Lilly was given her gift from Jasper. He was jealous. He felt threatened.

"Elizabeth." He snapped me out of my thoughts "Even though I appreciate your reassurance, I still stand by what I said. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe. And, at the moment, that means keeping her away from Jasper. You may not agree with me but she is my daughter too and I get to make some decisions when it comes to her."

"Are you really that threatened by him?"

"I've seen what he's capable of doing. Has he even told you about the first few years that he was here with us? With this family I mean?"

"No."

"That's what I thought. Perhaps you should ask him…I assure you then you won't be defending him so strongly."

"He won't tell me any more than he already has. He said that he can't be with me…that he refuses to feel certain emotions around me."

"He said that because of me." He admitted.

"Why?"

"I know you were able to feel his jealousy earlier when I was playing for Lilly."

"Yes, but…I don't see how…"

"He was jealous of me. Well, more so the situation between the two of us."

"Why? It's not a very good situation to be in."

"No, well not the exact situation. The fact that even though you may hate me, you are still able to be in such close proximity of me and not feel scared. He hates the fact that you feel sorry for him. He's never been the one who likes people to take pity on him. And, that's why he was jealous. Because, he just wants you feel safe like you somewhat do when you're around me…but with him, he knows you never would be."

"What is there to protect me from?"

"I believe that's a question for him, not me."

"Men." I sighed.

"Well, I'm going to leave you to your thoughts." He turned to walk out the door.

"No, wait. Please Edward, promise me you won't take Lilly away from me."

"I can't do that Elizabeth. Unlike you, I do not break the promises that I make to people. And this would be one promise that I can't promise you to keep. The moment something goes wrong, she and I will be gone…it's nothing personal. I just want my daughter to be safe."

"So, you're trying to tell me that if don't stop whatever you think Jasper and I have going on, you're going to take my baby away from me? The daughter who, up until a month ago, you didn't even know existed. I fail to see how this isn't personal…"

"We've all made mistakes. But, I promise you I won't make another one when it comes to my daughter."

"You know that the more you tell me to stay away from him, the more it's going to pull me towards him. Always wanting the forbidden?" I tried to explain things to him. Not that I needed any more reasons to want to run to Jasper.

He actually seemed to ponder that.

"I see what you're trying to tell me. But, I'll let you know now. If Jasper says he's only going to tell you what he has, that's probably all you're going to get. He _never _lets anyone in. For some odd reason, he doesn't like people to know everything about him…it's like he's afraid of being hurt again or something."

"So, can I try at least?" I asked nicely. This was ridiculous. I should not have to ask Edward permission to attempt to be friends with Jasper.

"Fine, because you're going to do it anyways."

"You know, this is a conversation I'd be expecting to have with my brother, not you."

"Well, would you like for me to inform him of what was really going on between you two out there in the forest?"

"Um no, that won't be necessary." I frowned.

If Edward had reacted like this, I can only imagine how _Emmett _was going to react.

"Well, don't do anything that he would react badly to. I guarantee you that if Jasper doesn't keep his hands to himself, there will be problems. Because, not only will he have to deal with me but your brother as well."

I just nodded my head. Because I was being consumed with other thoughts floating around in my mind. About how Edward said Jasper was maybe afraid of being hurt again and what would happen if he didn't keep his hands to himself.

"Um, Elizabeth, should I leave before you start fantasizing about Jasper?" he looked a little perturbed with me.

"Yea, maybe." I mumbled. I didn't know what he asked me to be honest.

"I'm going to go downstairs, to check on Lilly okay?" he backed up from me slowly and walked out of the room, an odd expression on his face.

"Okay."

All the sudden, I had a lot to think about.

My life had suddenly turned into some twisted soap opera.

I had Edward who was threatening to take away Lilly, my only reason for living, away from me if things got too hot and heavy between Jasper and I.

Then there was the fact that he was afraid that someone was going to take the place of him in terms of being a father figure to Lilly. That would never happen. Not to say that Jasper wouldn't be a good dad to Lilly…but, nope Edward was her real father…and that would never change.

And then there was Jasper.

He kept insisting that the two of us could never be anything. But, funny thing is, he was the one who was always bringing it up, not me. I was willing to settle on being friends…well, for now at least.

I didn't even know everything about him.

I wanted to see those scars again. Something inside of me wanted to touch them all…I wanted to know what they felt like.

I wanted to know just _how many _he had.

If Jasper was really afraid of being hurt again, why wouldn't he just tell me that?

There was no need to feel jealous of whatever he thought Edward and I had. Which was nothing. I had no romantic feelings towards Edward what so ever.

I may not feel scared when I'm around Edward yes but, it's only because he took everything away from me already. What else did I have to lose when it came to him?

And why in the world would be afraid to hurt me? I would never hurt…

Oh! Oh, god I'm so stupid! Why didn't I see this before??

"You don't use your head sometimes Elizabeth." I smacked my head before practically running out of my room and down to that third door on the left.

I opened the door, not bothering to knock and closed it behind me. There wasn't anyone in the room but, I could hear the shower water running.

A small part of me wanted to go in there and tell him what I needed to say but I figured that probably wouldn't go over well and he'd probably snap at me again.

So, I just sat on his bed and waited five minutes for him to be done.

When he finally emerged, I almost forgot my original purpose when I laid my eyes on him.

Wearing a pair of jeans, he came out slipping a black long sleeve shirt over his head and I just about fell over in the three seconds that I got a glimpse of his body…

From what I remember, Edward had a pretty nice body. Probably the best I had ever seen…until now that is. He was more muscular than Edward but not huge like Emmett. Just right in the middle…like, if I were in those arms of his, nothing could ever hurt me…

"Elizabeth?" his voice called me out my thoughts.

"Hey." I said nervously.

"What are you doing here?"

I walked closer to him until we were inches apart.

"Can I try something?"

"What?" He raised an eyebrow me.

"Can I hug you?" I tilted my head, trying to be as innocent as possible.

"I don't get…" Oh, I didn't have time for him to answer me. I closed the gap between us, wrapping my arms as tight around him as possible, pressing the side of my face against his chest.

This time, it was his arms that were frozen. He didn't make any attempt to hug me back.

"Why are you doing this?" he said, his voice a little strained.

"Because…" I sighed "You're afraid of me Jasper. And I need you to tell me why."

He instantly tensed up and I was just hoping with everything he had that he wouldn't pull away…that he wouldn't put up an even bigger wall between the two of us.

I made it my personal vow at that moment that I would show him.

I'd show him that he _could trust me. _

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_So, how was it?? Next Chapter will be in Jasper's POV...so if there's something you want to see from his POV, let me know!_

_Reviews=LOVE as always. _


	12. Failed Attempts

_A/N: I got another TWELVE reviews for last chapter. Thank you all so much. You guys are the best. A special mention goes to my friend **Amanda **for helping me again...and to _**Calliope Jones **_for our wonderful talk about Southern Boys...Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 12: Failed Attempts**

**~Jasper~  
**

For two weeks, my plan had been working.

My avoiding Elizabeth was driving her insane. It was irritating to her that I wouldn't give her a second glance each time she passed me or vice versa.

I thought I'd be able to continue this with no problem.

Wishful thinking.

When Alice came and told me that she and Esme were having a birthday party for Lilly, and that I _had _to be there, I knew there'd be trouble. But, I couldn't say no to Alice. She was always so happy that saying no would be like a slap in the face.

I didn't know how I was going to do it. I hadn't spent more than five minutes in the same room as her. But, I wasn't a child…we were both adults right? We could act civil around each other.

Yea, right. The moment she walked in the room, I knew that all my work had been in vain because all those feelings just came flooding back.

One look at that navy blue dress alone was enough to be my undoing.

Did she do that on purpose? No, she couldn't possibly know that it was one of my favorite colors. Then again, Alice's the one who took her shopping—that damn little pixie. But, I loved and respected Alice too much to even think about being mad at her.

I just stayed towards the back during the whole birthday festivities. She's be too busy to notice me right?

Wrong-God, I was so wrong.

The moment she saw me, I could feel her genuine surprise along with just a twinge of happiness.

When Lilly smudged that cake mess on her face and there was that awkward moment between she and Edward, all I wanted to do was scream at Edward and what an idiot he was.

Don't get me wrong, Bella is very beautiful. Even in her human life she was quite the looker but, there's just something about Elizabeth. Hell, that could just be me.

If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't even have thought twice before leaning over and cleaning that mess right off of her. Again, wishful thinking.

And then it was time for gifts. Of course I waited until it was almost the end. I have to admit though, that Lilly is such a sweetheart. She definitely has her mother's kind heart.

The moment I called her "Miss Lilly," I felt a hint of lust and anger coming from Elizabeth and Edward. I didn't have to be a genius to know which emotion came from whom.

What can I say, women are still drawn to the Southern accent.

It seems as if it's her weakness…and my curse.

I decided to give Lilly one of the oldest books that I own. A book that my own mother used to read to me from when I was younger. And I gave it to her because I knew that she would enjoy it. When she told me thank you and wrapped those tiny little arms around me, it was a wonderful feeling. This little girl is so innocent and cute that I can't help but love her.

But, she left and went over to be with her dad when he called her over. And don't for a second think I didn't catch the tension in his voice either. He was upset that Lilly liked me so much.

The song he wrote for her was nice. I'll admit it. It made everyone gaze longingly into their loved one eyes. I had no one. So, I just focused myself on Elizabeth to see what she was doing. It was then that jealousy overcame my senses without me even being aware of it.

She could stand so close to Edward and yet, she wasn't scared. She was so peaceful standing there, listening to the song. I know that she would never be able to be by my side and have that same peaceful feeling. I was no good for her.

After all those happy feelings just about drove me crazy, Alice mentioned something about swimming. And, I knew that this was my cue to exit. Yea, right like I was going to go swimming. Not to say I don't enjoy it…I love the water…just not with a bunch of people around.

I was leaving the room when I heard Elizabeth kindly decline the offer to go as well.

Something about how she didn't like to go swimming.

What a sneak…I knew _exactly _why she didn't want to go.

I should've left her alone…I should've never went up to her room. I knew I wouldn't be able to just go in there to talk.

I didn't really mean to treat her the way I did. I needed her to think that I was a jerk so, I hit her where it hurts…mentioning both Lilly and her scars.

I had just insulted her and she turned around and went all soft on me.

"You _shouldn't _want anything to do with me. I'm not good." I didn't look at her but I could tell she was pondering something over in her mind.

The same sensations flew through my system when she touched my hand. One simple touch and I just about…

"That's not true." She said barely above a whisper "All you have to do is let me…"

And then she reached up and touched the side of my face. God, this girl is going to be the death of me! I stayed frozen. Not because I didn't enjoy it…I couldn't show emotion towards her gestures.

"Please…" her sweet voice practically pleaded with me and I just about melted in her arms right then and there. She was trying to so hard to reach me…but, I couldn't let her.

Oh, and then heaven help me, she tried to kiss me! What in God's green Earth possessed her to do that?! As much as I wanted her to, I knew that it would be all bad so I pushed her away from me.

I was practically pleading with her to leave me alone. I couldn't handle it anymore.

Her response? She said she couldn't and three seconds later, her hands were on the collar of my shirt.

No, no! That wasn't an option. I had to get her away from me…and fast.

I grabbed her wrists and her back on the bed roughly, trying to scare her off. But, much to my surprise, she wasn't scared.

Hell, she was somewhat turned on. And truth be told, so was I.

And this wasn't the direction I needed to go in.

No, let me rephrase that, it wasn't the direction I _should _be going in.

So I grabbed her up again and literally dropped her into the bathtub and turned the cold water on her full blast.

It was actually quite comical to see her trying to turn it off but she didn't succeed. I told her she needed to get the scent off of her. Bull, I wanted my scent to be on her…but I had to tell her something before I left the room.

I was practically out the door when I heard her turn the water off and then back on again. My initial reaction was to turn right back around and go in there…to do what, I'm not really sure.

I didn't want to invade her privacy…I wasn't brought up that way.

But the other side of me wanted to invade everything.

I wanted her to let my hands travel freely across her skin, letting me touch every single scar of hers.

I knew she would let me if I asked…but, I knew I couldn't.

It wouldn't be right.

I knew that she would follow me. If anything, I had just aggravated her even more.

And, from what I knew about her, she wasn't one to just let someone treat her like that and just sit back and forget about it.

I knew that she would go straight for the same spot we had our conversation. And, even though I knew that, I still went there.

It was like I _wanted _her to come find me.

It had just started to rain when I heard her call my name.

Like we were playing a game of hide and seek with one another.

I came out so that I was in her line of sight and watched as she closed her eyes, no doubt trying to get a sense of what I was feeling.

She was getting good at this whole 'power mimicry' thing. But, I was still faster and I shut off all my emotions before she could get a good sense of anything.

"I hurt you." She started talking when I made no attempt to say anything.

"No, no you didn't." I scoffed at her. She hadn't hurt me to be honest. Many other things but hurt wasn't one of them.

"Yes, I did…"

Oh, she wasn't making this any easier on me was she? I needed to keep pushing her, as far as way as possible.

"No, Elizabeth you didn't. Because guess what? You don't matter enough to me to hurt me…" my words pierced her dead heart and I felt it. It was such an agonizing feeling of hurt and rejection.

"You don't mean that." She shook her head.

I turned to walk away from her…hoping she would just drop it.

"No, please!" she cried, running over and grabbing my arm in hers. One simple touch and I was on the verge of losing it again.

"Leave Elizabeth…" was all I managed to get out. Too much talking and my emotions would surely show in my voice.

She moved from my side to stand in front of me.

"You say that I don't matter to you…but _you _matter to me." She said softly.

"I'm no good for you Elizabeth…and you know it. You only are here because I've been avoiding you and it makes you feel unwanted…which is good because I'm the last person who should be wanting you."

"Do you want me?"

"No." I said quickly.

Lies, it was all lies…

"You're lying." She frowned. See, even she had seen right though me.

"I don't want you." I repeated more firmly this time "I _can't _want you." I said, and I knew she could hear the defeat in my voice.

She was getting to me and I didn't know whether to rejoice or hate her for doing this to me.

Before I realized what I was doing, I had grabbed her wrists with one of my hands and the other hand shot to the top of my shirt. She watched as I undid the buttons, stopping when I reached the fourth one.

I faintly hear her say something when she stopped, and shock resonated off her body.

I dropped her hands and she covered her mouth as a gasp left her lips.

Good. This girl needed a good dose of shock.

"You…" she spoke, and she no longer was shocked, she was angry at me "why didn't you tell me!" she screamed, pushing against me roughly and I actually stumbled back a little.

I forget sometimes that she's still a fairly young vampire and all her strength hasn't worn off yet.

When she went to hit me again, I stopped her and grabbed her hands again. Again, I am much more skillful when it comes to fighting.

"This…" I pushed her this time against the tree "is why I keep pushing you away." My voice dropped as I glared at her.

"I told you…" I growled slightly "I told you to leave me alone…" I pressed up against her with way more force than was called for. "And now, you leave me with no choice…"

All control I had was quickly fading away to the back of my mind when I leaned down to kiss that scar of hers. The texture of it felt amazing…and even though she didn't say anything, I knew she was enjoying it.

"You're a hypocrite…" she finally said.

I smiled slightly against her. Hell yes I was. And I didn't care.

"And so what if I am?" I looked at her, wanting to see if she had the courage to answer me back "that's what I thought."

She stayed silent, her eyes never leaving mine. I must've been so focused on them that I almost didn't catch that sneaky hand of hers trying to touch the piece of skin that was now exposed.

I grabbed it, kissed it and placed both of them against her cheek.

"Please…" her voice pleaded. And I didn't know why she was pleading.

"You can't. You've already seen too much." I was disgusted over the fact that she had seen this much.

"There's more?"

"I'm sorry Elizabeth. But this. You and I. Us. It can't happen…I won't let it happen."

"Why?" she asked innocently and for god sakes, she even pouted. This girl was going to be the death of me.

"I would only hurt you." I told her for like the tenth time.

"I can handle pain."

Was she really serious?

I placed my forehead against hers, desperate for more electricity to flow from me to her.

"You have no idea what you're saying. I have a hard time trying to control myself whenever I'm around you…you make me feel things that I shouldn't be feeling. I refuse to feel them."

Didn't I know it! Just one look alone was enough to drive me insane. I don't why or how she was doing these things to me.

I wanted to give her everything she asked me for.

But, to do more than this would be taking it too far.

Even what I was doing now was crossing the line.

I couldn't bring myself to do it. As much as I yearned for her, I wasn't about to do it.

Guess all that Southern hospitality was still flowing through my veins.

I wasn't about to take advantage of this girl.

She had already been taken advantage before…

Before either of us could say anything more, Emmett found us. Thank god for that.

At least with Emmett, I didn't have to hide my thoughts from.

Now, Emmett isn't stupid, he's just a bit innocent and gullible sometimes.

So, when Elizabeth told him that she had simply gone for a walk, he believed it.

The walk back home was just long enough for me to get my thoughts in order.

I smiled to myself as I listened to the small conversation between Emmett and Elizabeth. He loved her so much, and he was just beside himself now that she was back with him.

He had part of his real family back with him. He was very fortunate.

I would give anything to have someone come back to me…well, a certain someone to be exact.

When we walked back into the house, my thoughts shifted to my book I had been reading.

Yea, that wasn't suspicious at all.

I heard Lilly talking to her mother and then her laughing when Elizabeth got some of her wet hair in her face.

"I'll be back baby." She smiled at her daughter again before heading upstairs to change.

I quickly glanced at my family, but they all were pretty much back into what they were doing.

"Jasper, why are you wet? Did you walk with mommy too?" the little angel looked at me, a smile on her face.

"Yea Miss Lilly, we talked for a little bit. I hope you don't mind." I smiled softly at her.

"No, mommy like to talk to people."

Yes, yes she did. God, I was sort of mad now that Emmett interrupted what was happening. Though, part of was glad that he did. Who knows if I would been able to control myself any longer.

I wondered what Emmet would've done if he found Elizabeth and I…with me pressing her against the tree like I had. It had felt so nice…I had just about combusted with how close I was to her.

She smelt divine. What would I have given for just one taste…no, no!

I CAN"T be thinking like this.

Oh…my eyes immediately shot up when I got hit with an intense wave of anger.

"Daddy what's wrong? I saw Lilly tug on his sleeve but his eyes were glued to mine.

He charged up the stairs in a blink of an eye. I just about took a step and went after him when Alice called me.

"No, Jasper. He's not going to hurt her…at least, not physically." She frowned.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?!

"Fine." I sighed and instead just went into my room and sat there…listening to Edward speak in that damn condescending voice of his. The one he uses when he think he's better than you are.

And I didn't it like it for one second that he was talking to Elizabeth in that manner. She didn't deserve to be treated like that.

At that moment, I really felt like a hypocrite. The things I had said to her weren't the nicest either. Granted, I didn't really mean half of what I said but still, this had to stop.

I couldn't stand and listen to Edward bash Elizabeth any longer so I went to take a shower and turned the water on full blast so everyone's emotions and conversations would fade into the background.

The water was as hot as it would go and I just stood there for the longest time, placing both my hands on the wall and just letting the water fall over my face on down my shoulders, hoping desperately that the tension would melt away.

It helped somewhat and by the time I got out, my head was back on straight and I had a clearer mind.

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

I walked out of the bathroom and just about stumbled as I slipped my shirt on over my head.

Lo and behold, there she was, waiting for me.

How could it be that even in a pair of sweats and simple undershirt could someone look so…._lethal??_

I felt lust wash over me…unfortunately for her, she hadn't figured out how to block emotions yet.

I saw her eyes indiscreetly roaming over me as I finished putting my shirt on.

Well, at least she liked what she saw. She was probably too busy to notice the….oh, well never mind that.

"Hey." She said a bit nervously.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can I try something?" she walked closer to me until we were a few inches apart again.

"What?" I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Can I hug you?" she tilted her head, trying to play the innocent card on me.

But, I was beginning to see that Elizabeth was anything but innocent.

"I don't get…" I got cut off as she closed the gap between up and wrapped her slender arms around me and pressed her head against my chest.

I instantly went into statue mode. Moving at this point would be suicide.

I wouldn't be able to control myself.

"Why are you doing this?" I tried to speak without inhaling. Not so easy.

"Because…" she sighed deeply "You're afraid of me Jasper. And I need you to tell me why."

In about a split second, all my muscles tensed and my arms stayed frozen at my side.

Why on Earth would she think that?

What would possess her to think that I was afraid??

Had I really been that transparent?

All this time, I had been trying to convince her that _I _was the one who'd hurt _her. _

All this time, I thought I was pushing and blocking her out of my thoughts and emotions.

But, with that _one _sentence, I had been proved wrong.

Everything felt like it was falling apart now.

All the lies…all the avoidance…it'd all been in vain.

She had figured it out.

What choice did I have now?

I would _have _to tell her.

"Well…" I started talking, pausing when that delectable scent filled my senses. Oh, it was wonderful "first of all…" I backed up a little from her, taking in her appearance. The straps of her shirt had slid off her shoulders.

"If we're going to talk, we can't have this going on." I smiled slightly, hooking my fingers in the straps and sliding them back up her arms, causing her to tremble slightly at the feel of my hands on her.

"It's not proper for a woman to be so exposed." I explained.

"Proper?" she laughed gently. "would you like me to wear a sweater?" she teased.

Like hell I wanted her to wear a sweater. But, I wouldn't tell her that. I was supposed to be a gentleman after all.

"No, it should be fine…besides, if you leave, I probably won't be able to find the courage to tell you this again."

"What?" she asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"I think maybe if I told you some more things about my past, you'll get a better understanding of…"

"Of what?" she looked at me confused.

"As to why we can't be together…" I said softly. What was I thinking?? Why did I just say that!

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" she threw her hand up in exasperation.

"Can you just hear me out? You just accused me of being afraid of you…and I think you need to get some things straight in that pretty little head of yours…"

"Try me." She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at me.

Oh for god sakes.

"Can you please not do that?" I frowned and turned away from her and sat on my bed, settling against the headboard.

"Well, come on…you asked for this didn't you?" I moved my hand out in front of me, motioning for her to sit down.

"What exactly are you going to tell me?" she asked once we were both sitting.

"You'll see…" I mumbled. I didn't really want to tell her anything more than I had but…with her looking at me like that and biting her bottom lip in anticipation…

She could ask me to sing the Mexican national anthem and I would do it without shame…as long as she kept that same exact look on her face that she had at this moment.

Here goes nothing…

* * *

_Well, how was it?? The next chapter is going to be nothing but flashabcks from Jasper. I've already gotten one amazing idea for one so if anyone has other suggestions, feel free to let me know. _

_Hope you all enjoyed Jasper's POV...maybe it made things a little bit clearer now. _

_Reviews=LOVE  
_


	13. She Was My Everything

_A/N: Thank you so much to my Eleven reviewers from last chapter, you all are amazing! I have to give special mention to **Rose-la Cullen** for wanting flashbacks, to **SnoBall 13 & Calliope Jones** for their AMAZING ideas and help, and to my friend **Amanda **because she's just awesome and let's me ask her things all the time! _

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**Chapter 13: She Was My Everything**

"Now Elizabeth, if I'm going to be telling you these things, I need you to just sit and listen…can you do that?" I looked over at her as she sat cross legged across from me.

"I'm not five Jasper. I know how to keep my mouth shut." She rolled her eyes but I knew she would listen to my instructions because she was extremely eager to here this.

My only hope was that when it was all over, she wouldn't jump to the wrong conclusions.

"Well, when we cross over from this life and into the next, most of our human memories are forgotten the moment we wake up. But, there are those who desperately hang onto the most precious of memories from our human lives. Look at Rosalie for example. For years she wouldn't let go of her human memories. She has let a few of them go but she still clings onto some of them because they give her a sense of…well, I'm not quite sure. But, for me, the only memories as a human I have clung onto the hardest are the ones of her…the ones of Evelyn." I looked over at her, but I was staring past her, past everything in this moment.

And all I saw was _her. _

"Like I said before, I met Evelyn in one of the darkest times of my life. I was still trying to deal with the fact that I would never see my beloved sister again. It had been almost three years to the day when I first met Evelyn. And the moment I saw her, I fell. And I fell hard. I never had a chance."

Images of those first few months came into my mind.

"With her father's permission, I courted Evelyn for about three or so months. She was the sweetest girl I'd ever met. Vulnerable yet strong. Compassionate yet stubborn. I've always considered her the angel I needed to help me. And soon, I realized that she was the only one for me…and so, after asking her father for her hand in marriage, her parents gave me the go ahead…"

_~November 27__th__, 1860. _

_My parents and I had just finished having dinner with Evelyn and her family. They all were well aware of what I was to do that night and they were all very excited. _

_They saw how good we were for each other. Almost as if we were made for the other. _

_She was able to calm me like no other and I was able to love and treat her as if she was the only woman on earth. _

"_Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer, would it be alright if Evelyn and I went for a walk?"_

"_Of course Jasper, just don't keep her out too late, it is rather cold outside."_

"_Of course sir." I nodded at her father and helped Evelyn out of her seat and went to grab her jacket before we made our way outside. _

"_It's such a lovely evening." She mused, looking up at the clear sky as she linked her arm through mine as we began our walk. _

_I suddenly felt nervous. I knew that she loved me but, we had only known each other for a few months. _

"_Not as lovely as you darlin'." I smiled down at her and she blushed, almost the same color of the dress she was wearing. _

_After a few more minutes of small talk, we stopped and sat on a bench that was nearby. _

"_You seem nervous Jasper." Evelyn noted. She could always read my emotions even when my face was void of anything. _

"_Miss Evelyn.." I looked over at her and she smiled. Something she always did when I formally said her name "would it be okay if I read you something?" she lifted an eyebrow but nodded. _

_I reached into my jacket and pulled out a small piece of paper…unfolding it and holding it in one hand while I held her hand gently with the other. _

_I stared at the paper once more before reciting the poem to her:_

_She walks in beauty, like the night_

_Of cloudless climes and starry skies;_

_And all that's best of dark and bright_

_Meet in her aspect and her eyes:_

_Thus mellow'd to that tender light_

_Which heaven to gaudy day denies._

_One shade the more, one ray the less,_

_Had half impair'd the nameless grace_

_Which waves in every raven tress,_

_Or softly lightens o'er her face;_

_Where thoughts serenely sweet express_

_How pure, how dear their dwelling-place._

_And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,_

_So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,_

_The smiles that win, the tints that glow,_

_But tell of days in goodness spent,_

_A mind at peace with all below,_

_A heart whose love is innocent!_

"_Oh, Jasper that was beautiful. Thank you." She smiled such a beautiful smile._

"_I may not have written that fine piece of work but you are absolutely the most beautiful person I have ever met. I cannot go a single hour without thinking of your long black hair and the way it frames your face. Or how wonderful your cheek feels when I'm allowed to touch it gently. Or…" I smiled at her blushing face "how innocent and pretty you look when I'm able to make you blush."_

"_I'm honored that you think so highly of me Mr. Whitlock." She laughed gently, trying to regain her composure. _

"_Well, there's more." I set the paper down "I know we've only known one another for only a sort amount of time Eveyln but, I am convinced more than ever that you are the one for me. The one who I want to spend every day with, to grow old with…"_

"_Jasper, I don't understand." She shook her head, a little bit confused_

"_Evelyn Sawyer." I stood and bent down on one knee "Would you do me the greatest honor and say you'll be my wife?"_

_Her eyes widened a bit and stared at the small ring in my hand._

"_Oh, Jasper. I don't know…what about…"_

"_I've already asked your father and he's given me his blessing. Now, all I need is for you to say yes and I promise you Evelyn that I will love you for the rest of my days and I will protect you with everything I have."_

"_Dear Jasper." She touched my face gently and I instantly leaned into it "I would love nothing more than to become your wife. For the rest of my days, I want nothing more than to be Mrs. Whitlock…to give you children, to make you happy…to be a good wife."_

"_Is that a yes darlin'?"_

"_A thousand times yes!" she beamed and I slipped the ring on her finger before standing back up to embrace her tightly._

"_I love you so much." I murmured in her hair._

"_As do I. I can't envision life with another." She sobbed gently against my chest._

"_Neither can I. You are my everything Evelyn. You saved me when one else could…my angel in disguise."_

"_And you have given me the greatest happiness I could ever imagine…"_

_I pulled away and kissed her cheek gently. I paused and glanced at her._

"_May I Miss Evelyn?"_

"_Yes." She said before I leaned down to capture her lips with mine for a few moments. _

"_Oh, I cannot wait til the day that we are married." I wrapped my arms around her and made our way back to announce our engagement…_

"That was so sweet Jasper." Elizabeth sighed.

"Yes, real sweet. Too bad I wasn't able to hold up any of the promises I made to her."

"Oh." It seemed she had suddenly remembered that this tale didn't have a happy ending.

"I couldn't even make it to the wedding…some man I was." I shook my head. "Are you sure you want to hear this Elizabeth?"

"Yes." She said quickly. I knew she did…it was me who didn't want to talk about this next one.

"Well, like I said, two weeks before the wedding, Evelyn disappeared…" I trailed off, drifting back into my flashbacks.

_~February, 1861~ _

_It had been three weeks. Three weeks since the last time I had seen Evelyn. _

_We were supposed to be married by now. She was to have been my wife and I her husband. _

_For three weeks, friends of our family had been trying to help as best they could but nothing had turned up. She hadn't turned up. _

_I refused to believe that she had simply ran away. She would never do that to me. She loved me too much and vice versa. _

_But, that night, everything changed._

_It had been late. Around midnight I believe. I hadn't been able to sleep that night. I just kept staring out my window, looking out as the moonlight filled my tiny room. _

_I was reciting the poem I had told to Evelyn the night I proposed when I heard it. _

_The light sounds of a horse stopping in front of our house. I instantly jumped up out of my bed and raced to the front door. _

_When I opened it, I saw a young boy standing there, he couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen. _

"_Are you Jasper Whitlock?" his small voice asked me, he was scared I could tell._

"_Yes, how can I help you?" _

"_I was sent here by my father. We live in a few towns over."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Well, they found a body tonight…and they heard that there's been talk about a young woman who's gone missin' from here."_

_I didn't even need to hear the rest. I quickly grabbed my shoes and jacket and went to get my own horse, and practically demanded that the young boy show me the way. _

_The ride to his town took us about forty five minutes. The whole time, I kept telling myself that this wasn't happening. That the body they had found wasn't Evelyn's. I refused to believe it. I had to keep holding out hope. _

_But, all hope was lost the moment I jumped off my horse and ran to where a small group of men were gathered. I pushed some of them out of the way, barely hearing the young boy say "that's him.." _

_My heart dropped the moment I saw her. _

_Without even getting closer, I just __**knew **__it was her. She was wearing the same gray skirt and green jacket from the last time I saw her. _

_But, she wasn't the same way._

_The shirt was ripped, the jacket was thrown some ten feet away, practically ripped to shreds. And the shirt she was wearing was bloody and ripped every which way, exposing Evelyn to all these men. _

_I dropped to my knees, quickly removing my jacket and wrapping it around her body. I didn't need all these men staring at her in such a manner. _

_Gently, I cradled her in my arms, my fingers shakily running over her face. _

_She was so cold. _

_She was so broken._

_Her hair had been pulled out from its usual perfect up-do and was hanging messily across her face. _

_And oh god her face. She was so pale, her lips a light shade of blue. Who knows how long she had been out there. _

_But, what killed me the most was the fact that her entire body was covered with blood, bruises, and dirt. _

_Through all of it, she looked utterly peaceful. Like a beautiful angel who was just resting and whose eyes would open up at any minute. _

_I don't know how long I was sitting there, just staring down at her face….waiting for something to happen. _

_Nothing did. And I knew that she gone. _

_Someone had taken her away from me. _

"_I'm so sorry darlin'…" I suddenly let the floodgates open and tears and sobs wracked my body as I pulled her still body close to mine. I could feel her cold forehead press into the crook of my neck and I snapped. _

_I started shaking, both out of grief and anger. _

"_Son, let us help you." I heard an older man kneel beside me and place his hand on my shoulder. _

"_No!" I choked out when he tried to take her from me. "Please sir, I need to get her back home…" I looked up, my eyes pleaded with him. _

"_Very well. We can use my wagon son. I'll take you myself." He stood up and after a few moments, I stood up, still holding Evelyn in my arms. _

_I sat in the back with her as we took off. I just tilted my head to the side and watched her. _

_Tears were still flooding down my face, and they were spilling over onto her. I leaned down and brushed some of them away with my fingertips. _

"_Who did this to you Eve?" I whispered and grabbed her hand tightly. "Who would do this to you?"_

_I raised our interlocked hands and kissed her hand gently. My entire body was still shaking._

_I was in shock. I was grieving. I was trying to figure out who in the world did this to her. _

_But, as I looked down at her, the only thing I felt at that very moment was guilt. _

_The last time I had seen her, if was daytime and she said she was going to visit one of her friends for awhile. _

_I should've waited for her. I should've went back and made sure she gotten home safe. _

_All I could think about was how could __**I **__have let this happen!_

_I was supposed to be her protector. I promised that I would love her and keep her safe until the day I died. _

_And, with her eyes forever shut, skin so cold and broken body, I knew I had failed. _

_I had failed miserably and I knew that I would never be able to forgive myself. _

_I leaned down and pressed my forehead against hers and whispered the last words I would ever speak to Evelyn. _

"_I love you Evelyn Sawyer. I promise you that one day we will be together again. And I hope that you will be able to forgive me for letting you slip through my fingers." _

_When I reached our town, both my parents and Evelyn's parents were waiting. Word had traveled to them and they wanted to see for themselves. _

_Both Evelyn's and my mother exploded into hysterics when they saw her, their husbands trying to console them as best they could. _

"_Oh, Jasper…" my mother threw her arms around me and started sobbing as she held me tighter. "Darling I'm so sorry." She mumbled against me. _

"_God decided that it was time to call this angel home." I said, my voice suddenly growing cold. My mother pulled away from me and stared at me confused. _

_I didn't say anything else. I just walked away from all of it._

_That night was the night that part of Jasper Whitlock died. He died with the one woman he loved more than anything. _

_I no longer wanted to feel anything. The pain was too much. _

_And I would never be the same. _

When I snapped back to reality for a few moments, I found Elizabeth sitting there, her hand covering her mouth in shock. There was such a strong sadness resonating from her.

It looked like she wanted to cry but of course that was impossible.

"How tragic." She whispered. "Jasper, I'm so sorry…I never would've' thought…"

"Enough with the apologies Elizabeth. Now, you said that I was afraid of you, and I'm proving to you that I'm not…and you're going to sit and listen to what happened next." I pretty much was giving her orders and she sat there, and just waited for the next part.

"After she died, it felt like a big part of me had gone with her. I no longer wanted to do anything. I didn't smile anymore, I didn't laugh. It was like someone had reached right in and ripped out my heart and stepped all over it."

"But, the main thing was that I no longer showed any emotions… Kind of ironic now but anyways, people were pretty stunned when I remained silent during the entire funeral. And Evelyn's family and my parents were furious that I didn't stay for the little get together that was to follow the funeral. I didn' t see the point. Why in the world would I want to converse with people after I jujst buried the love of my life? No, I wanted to be alone...to just wallow in my own grief and deal with it on my own terms..."

"What did you do?" she looked at me from across the bed, arms wrapped around her knees. "Where did you go?"

"I went to the local bar...even though I was only seventeen, it was fairly common for guys my age to drink..."

"You were trying to drink away your sorrow?"

"I thought I was telling the story here?" I glared at her and she stopped talking. She just listened.

_~February 17__th__, 1961~_

_"Can I get another James?" I looked up at my friend, holding up the now empty glass in my hands. _

_"I don't know Jasper...you've already had five. That's some lethal stuff you're drinkin' buddy." _

_"I'm a paying customer, so why do you care?" I snapped at him, setting the glass down. He gave me a look. A look I didn't want him or any other person in that damn town to give me._

_"Look Jasper, I know that you're going through a really rough time right now but, drinking yourself to death isn't going to bring Eve back..."_

_"Don't!" I stood up and glared at him "Don't you EVER mention her...you didn't know her. She was my WORLD...and some selfish fool took her away from me..." I yelled, my voice thick with emotion. I had to get out of there. I couldn't have people see me like this._

_I couldn't let them see me weak. _

_I threw my money on the counter and walked as quickly as I could out of the bar and traveled down the dirt paths, not quite ready to face anyone yet. My vision was a little blurry as I stumbled across an abandoned home. It was hidden, probably hadn't been occupied for years._

_The door was unlocked as I walked inside._

_It was dark...it was haunting._

_I'm sure the same could be said about me. _

_Once I knew I was alone, I collapsed on the floor...letting every emotion run through me._

_Emotions I had refused to acknowledge for four days. _

_Anger towards whoever had done this to my Evelyn. She was so kind, so precious and someone had the audacity to torture and kill her in the most vicious way. _

_Sadness...such an intense sadness because she was no longer with me. She had come along when I needed someone the most. I let her in when no one else could reach me. Because she didn't stop...she wanted to help me. I was 'her Jasper' and she was 'My Eveyln.' How in the world was I going to love again when my one true love was gone forever??_

_Guilt because I should've taken much better care of her. I should've been watching her...make sure she was safe at all times. _

_And finally, it all hit me. I was left with nothing in this world. _

_And, if I couldn't be with Evelyn in this world...then I sure as hell would be with her in the next. Without her by my side, life meant nothing._

_The more I thought about it, the more sense it made to me. I had no one left for me. Of course my mother would be heartbroken...my father wouldn't care..._

_I stumbled into the kitchen, finding what I needed in there. I grabbed the knife..walked over to the stove and turned on the fire, warming the blade in the heat until it was almost impossible to hold in my hands. _

_It wouldn't take long...just a few slices here and there. _

_The first one burned like hell...but the second, third and fourth ones...they felt nice. I was numb by then. _

_My two wrists, the side of my neck, and one deep on my arm was just enough...just enough to make me start to forget about all the pain...everything. _

_"I'll be with you soon darlin'....my sweet Evelyn I will see you again." was the last thing I remembered saying before it all went black. _

"So much for that idea huh?" I snapped her out of the story and she looked up at me, pain resonating all across her features.

"Here I was trying to kill myself so I could be with Evelyn again so that we could be together. But, some fool showed up and saved me...and now, I'm going to live forever...but without Evelyn."

"That's why you're so afraid of me isn't it?" she untangled herself from her position, her eyes locking with mine.

"Elizabeth, I already told you. I'm not afraid of you."

"Yes..." she shook her head and stood up "You're afraid...because I remind you of Evelyn. All this time, I've unknowingly been trying to reach and help you. This is why you kept pushing me away, not because you don't care about but because you're afraid that I will leave you like she did. And you don't want to get hurt again…"

"You are _nothing _like Evelyn." I snapped at her. I stood to face her, looking down into those eyes "For one, you're an undead vampire, Evelyn's dead...and second, I loved Evelyn with every fiber of my being...and I would give everything to have her back in my arms, just once...and Elizabeth..." I looked at her "I don't love..."

"Please stop..." she whispered. But I couldn't. She had just stirred up a whole mess of emotions and memories and I wasn't too happy about it.

"I don't love you." I said firmly, and void of any emotion. She let out a small gasp and turned away from me quickly. Why, I'm not sure. It's not like she could cry or anything.

With her back still turned towards me, I heard her mumble something. Something that sounded like "you're lying."

For a few minutes she stayed like that. I was about to open my mouth to say something when she whipped around so fast and was in front of me all within a blink of an eye. Before I even registered it...she had slapped me.

And she got me good. It hurt...physically and emotionally because I could feel the pain and anger flying off of her when she hit me.

Her eyes had darkened in those ten seconds...she was beyond angry with me.

I was so dazed by her eyes that I didn't feel her at first when she lunged at me again, this time pushing me forcefully down onto my own bed.

"Prove it.." she growled, her face a mere three inches above my own.

It was the first time I had ever heard her like this...she was overcome with our animalistic side...

She was pushing me again and this time, there was no telling if I would be able to stop myself.

And I knew that this wasn't going to be good.

* * *

_I hope that the flashbacks were good. I wanted to get across just what Elizabeth was up against...someone she doesn't even know. Hopefully you think her reaction was justified. _

_Reviews=LOVE.  
_


	14. Far From Over

_A/N: To my amazing reviewers, thank you so much! You guys inspired me to get this out sooner than planned. _

_And the biggest thanks to **Calliope Jones**...for helping me out SO much with this chapter._

_

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_**Chapter 14: Far From Over**

**~Elizabeth~**

This was what I had been waiting for.

I finally had him where I wanted.

I finally got him to open up more to me, to tell me things he hadn't told anyone before.

But, what I got wasn't what I expected.

I've heard that the truth sometimes and this was no exception.

It was like being stung by a wasp…small, quick and horrendously painful.

I knew that Jasper had loved Evelyn but, I never would've imagined the toll her death took on him.

She was his 'everything' like he said and he literally meant that. When he talked about her, it was like I wasn't even in the room. He was so consumed by the memories of her it was almost too much to listen to it.

Because, the more he talked about her, the more things started to make sense.

_She_ was the reason as to why he was like this. Long before he was changed, long before I came along, it was all because of her.

She had been the one to reach him when no one else could. And because of it, he had set her on this pedestal. She was his angel.

They were to be married…and for god sakes someone murdered that poor girl! And the way Jasper described the night he found her, let's just say it's a good thing I can no longer dream otherwise I'd be haunted by those images.

The images that I'm sure haunt him every day. The images that made him try to take his own life.

And then it all hit me.

When he said that he was going to explain things to me, to prove that the two of us could never be together, I thought he was going to tell me some horror stories from his early vampire days.

But, that wasn't the case.

When he said that without her, his life had meant nothing, he wasn't just talking in the past.

He was talking about the present as well. He didn't want anyone, let alone a woman, to get beneath the layers of pain and suffering he had endured all these years.

And then I showed up and I started invading his space…asking all the wrong questions. Wanting information he clearly didn't want to share.

I was trying to reach him.

This was the reason as to why he was so afraid of me. Oh, he could deny it up and down all he wanted but his stories just reinforced what I already knew.

I was like _her. _And that didn't set well with him.

But I still called him out on it.

"You are _nothing_ like Evelyn." He snapped at me, and then went on to name reasons as to how we were different. "I loved Evelyn with every fiber of my being…and I would give everything to have back in my arms, just once…and Elizabeth…" he looked at me "I don't love…"

"Please stop." I whispered. He wasn't about to do this to me.

"I don't love you." He said, his voice was empty and hallow.

I turned away from him quickly, not wanting him to see what he was doing to me. He was breaking me, hurting me worse than I could ever imagine.

He had it in his mind that he was still so in love with Evelyn. That, she was the only one for him…that no one else would be able to love or hold him the way she did.

I didn't deserve this right? I was being compared to a woman who had been dead for a hundred years…and woman who I didn't even know.

And woman who had claimed every part of Jasper's heart and took it with her the day she died.

And that's when I snapped. I felt all my muscles begin to tense from the anger coursing through my body.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I turned back around and in a split second, my hand taking on a mind of its own, I slapped him. And, I got him good.

And it felt _amazing. _

The look of surprise that flashed across his face was priceless. He looked angry with me…beautiful and tortured.

I couldn't stop there. There was still so much frustration inside of me. While he was too busy staring at me, I lunged at him, the two of us landing on his bed.

"Prove it." I literally growled at him. I had never growled at anyone, ever.

"Elizabeth…" he tried to sit up but I wasn't about to let that happen.

"No." I grabbed a fistful of the shirt he was wearing before pushing him down further into the bed and kept my hand firmly planted against him "I said prove it."

"I don't love you Elizabeth." He said calmly, masking whatever true emotions he was feeling.

I heard what he said but, in my mind, it was like he was saying _"I can't love you because I'm still in love with someone else…and I'll never let her go." _

With those words, the hugest swell of anger and realization hit me.

First, Jasper was driving me insane both emotionally and physically.

Second, he was completely hung up on his long lost fiancée.

And third, I was insanely and overwhelmingly jealous of said fiancée.

"Oh god help me…" I whispered, pulling my hand away from him and ran it through my hair, trying to make sense of everything.

"What is it?" his eyes softened a bit, practically melting away any anger I had towards him.

He had to be the only man I've ever met who made me want to scream out in frustration one moment to wanting to hold him tightly against me, promising him nothing bad would happen.

And at this very moment, my anger was overpowering any other emotion I was feeling.

"Oh shut up!" I snapped, my hand coming in contact with his face again, trying to get some sort of reaction out of him.

He blinked a few times but that was about it. I wasn't really hurting him. Yet, he was letting me vent my anger towards him in a physical way.

"Elizabeth please." He grabbed my wrists in his hands and held them tightly.

"Please what?"

"Get off of me." He narrowed his eyes at me. He was regaining control of the situation and I didn't like it. This was my time to be mad and upset…

"Or what?" I quirked an eyebrow, leaning down closer to him, placing both my hands on either side of his head. In doing so, it had caused our hands to touch, palm to palm…and the two of us took notice of the instant sparks that were flying through us.

"Because we can't do this. I refuse to do this with you." His words came out of his mouth making me sound like I was some sort of disease.

"And what is that exactly?"

"I don't need to explain to you. You know damn well what you're doing to me."

"Oh, I think you do. Because you know what I see when I look at you…" I leaned even closer to him, until my mouth was right above his ear "I see a coward." I whispered to him.

And maybe a bit of crazy too.

His grip instantly tightened around my wrists. A hold that would have surely shattered my bones if I were human.

In one instant, he regained total control and flipped us over so that he was pinning me down.

"Oh, are you going to show me that you aren't still clinging onto to someone who's been gone for a hundred years Jasper? Go on ahead coward…I dare you to." I was still pushing him…further than ever before.

His eyes suddenly went completely black, almost as if he was becoming a different person…

"Don't you _ever _call me that again. You stupid bi…" he stopped talking when he raised _his _hand and glared at me, nothing but pure hatred in his eyes.

For about thirty seconds, we were silent. I watched him, waiting to see what he was going to do. If he was going to hit me, I could handle it. Right?

But, he didn't hit me. He did however lower his hand and placed it around my neck, putting some pressure on it.

"You won't do this to me again Maria. I won't let you…" he pressed a little harder, his hand shaking. Out of anger or fear I wasn't sure.

It was one thing to be compared to his dead lover but, I wasn't about to lay here and let him express his hatred towards the woman who changed him on me…

"Jasper…do I look like Maria?" I grabbed his hand that was still around my neck.

He didn't let me go. He wasn't seeing me anymore. He wasn't even seeing Evelyn anymore.

Oh this was just great.

Knowing I was just a bit stronger than him, I grabbed his hand and twisted it back in a painful looking position just long enough for me to push him off of me, the two of us standing up quickly.

"Say all you want Jasper…but you _are _afraid of me. Because when you look at me, you see Evelyn, you see Maria…and whatever other woman that's left or screwed you over. And until you learn that I am nothing like them..." I walked over to him, running my hands through those beautiful locks of his before pulling him down to my eye level "I'm going to keep pushing you…"

"You don't scare me Elizabeth." He said coldly.

"And neither do you." I let him go and turned to leave the room.

I hadn't even reached my door when Alice flitted to my side, a strange look on her face.

"Are you alright?" she touched my neck gently. "perhaps I should've intervened?"

"I had it under control." I shrugged.

"Are you sure? I never imagined Jasper would get so aggressive with a woman…it just isn't in his nature."

"Yes, well let's just say he had a momentary lapse of judgment…"

"Elizabeth, please tell me…"

"I can't." I clenched my fists at my sides.

"It had to do with her didn't it?" she asked gently and my eyes snapped back up at her, a flash of shock flashing across my face.

But then I remembered, Jasper and Alice had spent years by themselves and he had probably told her about Evelyn. Luca probably knew too since he could see everyone's past.

I just nodded my head. I couldn't lose it here with Alice. She wasn't who I needed right now.

"Alice, can you do me a favor?"

"Yes, I'll watch Lilly for you. Luca and I will stay in the room with her. Don't worry Elizabeth, it'll all work out." She kissed my cheek before going on her way to find my daughter. I wanted nothing more than to just curl up with my baby, watching her sleep so innocently.

But, I was too upset to be around her right now. And that wasn't fair. She didn't deserve that.

I needed to talk to someone. I needed…I needed my family.

I practically jumped down the stairs where I knew he would be.

"Lizzie…" my brother barely got out before I threw my arms around him, embracing him tightly.

He knew then something was wrong. I used to hug him tightly like this only when I was scared beyond words.

"Lizzie." My brother pulled me away from him so he could see me "what happened?"

I didn't answer him, I just pulled back into his strong embrace.

"I just need my big brother okay?" I felt my entire body shaking against him, everything suddenly catching up to me.

He didn't say anything. I could feel him turn his head, probably to look over at Rosalie, wondering what was going on.

It seems as though I had just experienced and adrenaline rush or something.

The things I said and did to Jasper were things I would've _never _done to someone. I just wasn't that type of person.

All I wanted to do was keep him pinned down on that bed and let him….I don't know…hold me or something.

But how could that be possible when he was still clinging on to a memory of someone else. A love lost so long ago but yet still so fresh in his mind?

And then he grabbed me…holding me down, and even though I knew it wasn't me he was trying to hurt me, he still did it.

I told him that I wasn't afraid of him. But, in that moment, I was terrified of him. I didn't want him to hurt me…and it pained me so much to know that he had to endure so much pain and suffering that it had turned him into this type of person.

Something or someone made a noise and I gasped lightly, clinging onto my brother even tighter.

"Jesus, Lizzie…" my brother sighed and pulled away again.

He placed both his hands on my face, forcing me to look at him. I couldn't avert his gaze even if I wanted to.

"What did he do to you?" he asked, his face utterly calm and full of concern.

"Who?" my voice was barely above a whisper.

Before he could answer, I heard that noise again and I realized that it was the sound of someone coming down the stairs.

I tried to turn my head so I could see who it was but Emmett wouldn't budge.

"Elizabeth." I winced, he only used my full name when he was getting mad. "tell me what happened or I'll ask him myself."

"I just got a little upset, that's all." I finally said something.

"A little?"

"Okay, a lot. That's it though Emmett I promise." It seemed to work because he dropped his hands from my face and turned me around before he walked away from me.

And he walked straight over to Jasper who was now standing at the bottom of the staircase. On his way, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled something on it and handed it to Jasper.

He held no emotion as he responded to whatever was on that piece of paper. Emmett read it over and a sly smile appeared on his face.

"Lizzie, come." He called me, a hint of amusement in his voice. I walked as slowly as I could before I reached the two of them.

Being in such proximity to Jasper so soon was extremely difficult.

"Now, would you mind telling me why you basically manhandled Jasper?" he held back his laughter.

"I um…I…what?" I shook my head.

"Like I said Emmett, it was all my fault…" Jasper stepped a bit closer to us "I should've never come on to her so strongly. It was uncalled for and very rude, and I hope that you can forgive me Elizabeth?"

"Sure." I mumbled when Emmett nudged me. Oh, this was just perfect. He had just sweet talked his way into my brother's good graces.

Him and his stupid, perfect Southern hospitality.

"Way to go Lizzie, I didn't know you had it in you!" Emmett wrapped an arm around my shoulder and laughed.

"Yea, me either."

"It's okay Lizzie, there was no need for you to be scared…Jasper is just a guy, he wasn't going to hurt you…he's just attracted to you." He teased me "ah, my little sister…can't keep them off of you can you?"

I couldn't believe this. My brother was standing here teasing me like I was a little kid with a crush on his best friend.

"Yea, thanks Emmett." I nudged him in the side, getting him away from me.

"I tell you." He shook his head and walked away from me, back to Rosalie.

I turned my attention back to the person standing in front of me.

"May I see that?" I pointed towards the paper and he handed it to me.

I quickly wrote on it and handed it back to him as I made my past him and up the stairs.

_I stand corrected. I don't just see a coward. I see a liar…_

I heard him crumple the paper, a small hiss escaping those lips of his before he started up the stairs right behind me.

When I reached the top step, I stopped and turned around to speak to him.

"This isn't over is it?" He grabbed my arm before I opened my mouth.

"You're damn right this isn't over…"I shook out of his grasp and walked away.

If he thought he could say and do all those things to me and just go about like nothing had happened, he was in for a rude awakening.

If I had been able to get past what Edward had done to me, then he sure as hell was going to have to learn to move on from everything.

Because, in his mind, he and I together would be the ultimate sin.

A sin because he was 'claimed' by another woman.

Oh, this was far from over.

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_Reviews=LOVE...I'm eager to see what you all thought. _


	15. Got Me Going Crazy

_A/N: You guys were all so amazing with all the reviews! I loved every single one of them. _

_Again, special thanks to **Calliope Jones** for her never ending help! You all should really go read her story "Cursing Fate." It's AMAZING!_

_Enjoy!_

_

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_**Chapter 15: Got Me Going Crazy**

In the three years that I have been a vampire, I have never, ever hated the fact that I can no longer sleep.

Last night though, I so desperately wished that I could just fall asleep and dream of being somewhere far away from here.

A few hours to be all alone in my mind without having to deal with everything seems pretty reasonable right?

I'm only one person. Even though immortal, I can only handle so much before I eventually snap.

I lay there all night, just staring up at the ceiling...hoping for some of this anger and confusion to subside.

I had no such luck. Even with my little angel snuggling closer against me, I just couldn't calm down.

At around seven or so, there was a light knock on my door.

"Come in..." I said in a whisper, praying for it to be anyone _but _Jasper. Hell, I would even settle for Edward strolling in at this point.

Yea, I was _that _upset.

Thankfully, it was Luca. Alice's wonderful husband. And one of the three men I could stand in this household as of right now.

"I'm sorry to bother you so early but we were wondering if you would like to come out with us? To hunt of course."

"Right now?" I glanced at the clock "it's a little early don't you think?"

"Oh dear Elizabeth." he laughed lightly "time doesn't matter, we go whenever we can...but, if you wish, you can go later on. We're going in two groups today."

"Who's going right now?" I tried not to sound too obvious.

"My Alice, myself, Edward and Bella." he named off the group of four.

"Well.." I thought for a moment. If I went now, there was a slight chance I'd have to deal with another Edward lecture. But, if I waited, I would have to go with _him._

Both choices didn't sound to appealing to me.

"Give me a few minutes Luca to get dressed and I'll meet you guys downstairs."

"Excellent." he nodded and exited the room. I quickly threw on something other than the pajamas I was wearing so I could join them.

Kissing Lilly's forehead, I turned around and found Esme standing in my doorway.

"I'll watch over her, if she wakes up, is it okay if I make her breakfast?"

"Yea, that'd be fine." I forced a smile to her. "thanks Esme."

I met the others downstairs and we were on our way.

I soon enough came to realize that the good thing about hunting with these four was that Edward and Bella were off in la la land with one another and Alice chatted to me while Luca quietly retreated to the background, giving his wife the freedom to speak.

We did what we had to do...when I wasn't busy, I was able to watch the others in action, all skilled in their ways.

I wondered if I was as graceful as Alice...or as fast as Edward. Or if I just looked like a fool running around, snapping at whatever I could find.

But, as I watched, I wondered...just for a moment, what Jasper looked liked when he hunted.

My mind could only imagine him...strong, fearless...beautiful.

I quickly shook my head of those thoughts when I heard them wrapping up, saying it was time to go back.

We all made our way back to the house, the two couples having conversations amongst themselves.

I walked a little ahead of them, trying to give them some privacy. I reached the house before they did...and was greeted with a strong smell of human food.

I guess that meant that Lilly was awake already. Poor thing, I hated having her waking up without me by her side. But, I knew that Esme would be taking good care of her so I wasn't too worried about it.

That is, until I walked inside the kitchen.

_Oh, you've got to be kidding me! _My thoughts screamed as I took in the scene in front of me.

Lilly was awake, eating the meal that Esme had prepared for her.

But, holding my little girl...was none other than Mr. moody himself.

She was sitting on one of his knees and he had his arm wrapped around her gently so she wouldn't fall off. She was playing with the food in front of her, an odd expression on her face.

In his other hand, Jasper was holding a book and was reading from it, his eyes not looking up when I first walked in.

I paused in the doorway when I heard him reading, his voice completely in character:

"_One sees here that young children, especially pretty girls, polite, well-taught, and pure as pearls, should stay on guard against all sorts of men. For it one fails to stay alert, it won't be strange to see one eaten by a wolf enraged. I say a wolf since not all types are wild, or can be said to be the same in kind. Some are winning and have sharp minds. Some are loud or smooth or mild. Others appear just kind and unriled. They follow young ladies wherever they go, right into the halls of their very own homes. Alas for those who've refused the truth: Sweetest tongue has the sharpest tooth." _

At the exact moment that he read that very last line, his eyes lifted from the book, partially covered by that tousled hair of his but, I was still able to feel them locking with mine.

Surely if I were human, my heart would've started to beat erratically when I saw, for just a brief moment, the corner of his lips twitch up into a sly smile.

But then the smile turned into a smug smirk and he gave me a look that read 'yea, you were supposed to hear that.'

God, this guy knew _exactly _what he could do to me.

It was obvious that he was trying to make a point.

I quickly caught on to the whole 'wolf' analogy.

Winning and sharp mind? That was Edward.

Loud? That was my brother.

Smooth and mild? Luca.

Kind and unriled? That was Esme hands down.

Oh, but sweetest tongue and sharpest tooth? It was pretty clear who that was in reference to.

Yes, he was a vampire. But, unlike me or the rest of his family, he was completely different. He was the 'bad boy' of the group.

That's what he was trying to get across.

Didn't this guy know anything? Women are drawn to bad boys…it's just in our nature.

If he really thought that by him reading that out loud was going to make me run away from him screaming, he had another thing coming to him. If anything, it had just my thoughts even more consumed with him.

Great, just what I needed.

"Lilly!" Alice pranced into the room, quickly picking her up out of Jasper's arms "want to go play in your cool closet?" she rambled on to Lilly and the two of them walked upstairs, laughing the entire way.

I eyed her funny but, her few moments in the kitchen allowed me to glance into the future…and what was about to happen. I should've walked out…but no, I'm a stubborn girl who never listens.

"Elizabeth." I felt a hand on my shoulder "what's going on here?" I turned a bit to see Edward standing there.

"What are you talking about?" I shrugged away from his grasp.

"Are you and Jasper…_sleeping _together?" he looked down at me.

"Are we what!" I moved further away from him "what in god's name would make you think that?"

"Why else would he be reading that to Lilly? About pretty girls and sweetest tongues." Edward gave me a disapproving look.

"It's just a story Edward. And, for all you know, I could've been warning Lilly about men…men like you actually." Jasper smirked before I could even open my mouth.

"What?" Edward's attention was momentarily taken off of me and was now on Jasper.

"Well, let's not forget what Lilly was a product of in the first place. You basically raped Elizabeth after you lured her in with all that damn charm you have and then you just left her for dead in an alley way. You really want that same fate for your daughter? You want her to be treated like that?"

"Jasper, please…" I frowned. I didn't dare think of my baby having to endure what I did.

"No, what's with everyone always defending Edward in this house? Does no one see him for the conniving person he can be?"

"Can someone just answer my original question?" Edward cut back in.

"What's it to you Edward? Does it really matter?" I sighed.

"Yes, yes it does. Elizabeth, did you not tell him about the conversation we had?"

"What's your problem Edward? Stop treating her like she's a child…you have no say in the decisions she makes. Just because you brought her into this life, it doesn't mean you can make every choice for her…" Jasper just kept throwing in the surprises. It was like he was defending me.

"Like you let Maria do it to you?" the two men stepped closer to one another.

Oh. I immediately winced when images of last night flooded through my mind quickly at the mention of the name Maria. Edward was pushing the wrong buttons with Jasper now.

"My past has nothing to do with her. She is an adult." He clenched his fists tightly.

"Stay away from my daughter Jasper. Nothing good can come to her if you continue hanging around her…reading her those ridiculous stories." Edward shook his head. "Leave the parenting to the two of us…"

"Yea, because you're doing such a good job with it. And, just so you know, she loved the story I was reading her. She may be young but she isn't scared. She's strong. But then again, she has to be, look at what kind of father she has."

"Hey, hey…" I stepped in between them, trying to stop them from ripping each other's heads off.

Yes, it was definitely a bad idea to stay in the room with these two.

"You're a liar Edward. You're manipulative and you do anything to get what you want."

"At least I'm not covered in scars…" the statement didn't sound like much but it was like hitting Jasper where it hurts. I had yet to see them all but, they were probably a big part of him. Part of that past life before he joined this family.

But, then it was the way Edward said it. Almost as if he was disgusted with scars. Well, that was just great. Not like I cared what he thought, it was just very insensitive of him to say.

"You're jealous Edward. Jealous because I can be with her and you can't. She isn't that frail little human you attacked…she's stronger now. Who's to say I won't take her upstairs right now and just have my way with her?" he smirked, and he sounded completely serious too.

He may have been trying to get under Edward's skin but, I had a feeling there was truth underneath his words. At least, I hoped so. Then again, it could've just been wishful thinking.

"I'm not jealous." He shrugged.

"Who are you trying to fool? Surely not the one who feels all the emotions." He laughed coldly.

"So, you had every intention of having her hear that piece of the story."

"You're damn right I did. She knows where we stand, right Elizabeth?" he looked down at me, smiling that half smile that got me every time.

"Where you stand? Elizabeth, remember what we talked about…"

"Oh for god sakes, shut up!" I snapped. "Leave me out of your conversations…I'm tired of fighting the both of you. You.." I turned towards Jasper "you treat my emotions as if they were nothing, changing your own every time I see you!" I turned away from him and back to Edward "and you! Stop bringing up that conversation we had. I clearly remember what you said alright. I can't take this anymore. Last time I checked, neither of you were my father. You can't make choices for me."

"Where are you going?" they both asked me.

"Away from the both of you. I can't handle everything you've both been putting me through lately. This is enough…" I tried to calm my voice down but it was cracking with every word.

I moved away from them, and made my way out of the house, and I suddenly founded myself running as fast as I could.

I needed to get away.

You would think hearing Jasper and Edward arguing, over me no less, would be pretty exhilarating but, it was horrible.

Jasper with all his damn mood swings and Edward thinking he's always right was too much.

"How in god's name did I get involved in all this?" I asked myself when I finally slowed down, coming to rest near that small creek I had gone with Edward and Lilly one time.

I sat on the edge, kicked my shoes off and stuck my feet in the water. The cool water was extremely refreshing and it somehow gave me peace of mind.

How was it that these two men were capable of getting underneath my skin in a matter of seconds?

I was trying really hard. But, a part of me was starting to wonder if coming back with Emmett had really been such a good idea.

I knew why Edward was always driving me crazy. He had put me into this situation and now he was trying to make all the choices when it came to our daughter.

But Jasper…that was tricky.

_No, it isn't Elizabeth. You know EXACTLY why you're feeling this way. _

_As crazy as he drives you, the more he pushes you away…the more you want him._

"Oh, well this is just perfect!" I yelled at no one but myself.

"What's perfect?" an unfamiliar voice asked me and I snapped my head up, looking for the source.

Before I could speak, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the strongest burn in my throat. It was an unspeakable scorcher.

I had never felt this way before. Staring at this perfect stranger, all I could focus on was the scent.

Sweet and Torturous.

I should've been repulsed by this. I vowed to never attack a human again.

But, none of that seemed to matter as I stood up and walked slowly towards him.

"Hey, what's with your eyes? They're pitch black…" he stepped a few inches away from me, fear beginning to register in his mind.

"You're a very handsome young man." I batted my eyes at this guy, trying to be as sweet as possible. Soon, we were only a few inches apart. So close that I was able to reach out and wrap both my arms around him.

I was suddenly turning into some sort of seductress in a matter of seconds. This wasn't me at all.

"Want to have some fun?" I whispered in his ear, pulling him closer to me. I felt his pulse increase beneath my finger tips and it was sending me into overdrive.

I didn't even let him respond to him before I sank my teeth into the side of his neck. The moment that blood hit my tongue, it was like I wasn't even me anymore.

He tried to fight me off for about a minute but before I knew it, he had gone limp in my arms.

And by the time I was done, I was in a state of pure shock.

"What did I just do?" I dropped to the ground, the young boy coming with me.

And then it hit me.

I was _just like them. _

I had just taken an innocent life for the sake of my own selfish needs.

Edward had attempted to do the exact same thing to me.

Jasper had done it countless times in his early years as a vampire.

"Oh, god…" things just starting hitting me one after the other and I was certain that if I were human, I would've fainted from the intense amount of guilt and disgust I was inflicting upon myself.

What was I going to do now?

**~Jasper~**

Up until today, I thought that a curious Elizabeth, the one who bit her lip in anticipation of things, was the prettiest I had ever seen her.

That all changed in a matter of minutes.

I would rather take an angry, pissed off Elizabeth _any day. _

Oh, and her face when I mentioned to Edward that I could have my way with her at any moment was priceless.

It was the perfect mixture of surprise and lust.

That statement I made may have been pushing the line a bit but, everything else I said was true.

Just because Edward had done all this, it didn't give him any right to make her choices.

It was almost like he was saying 'if I can't have her, then you sure as hell can't."

And, I don't take to challenges very well.

Jasper Hale got what he wanted, when he wanted it.

Thing is, I wasn't sure what I wanted.

There was too much drama and complications when it came to Elizabeth.

Then again, I wasn't a very easy person to deal with either.

After the argument ended between Edward and I, I went and sat around in the living room.

Thirty minutes maybe passed before I saw Alice get that blank look on her face. The one she gets when she's having a vision.

When her eyes snapped open, she looked…well, she looked scared.

"Jasper, go find Elizabeth." She said calmly to me and I looked at her in confusion.

"I doubt she wants to see me right now Alice." I shrugged "why?" I let my curiosity get the best of me anyways.

"Go to her." She repeated.

"I'm not just going to go Alice. What are you talking about? Did you see something?"

"Jasper, enough questions! Go to her…now!" Alice hauled me to my feet and pushed me out the door. As I started in the direction she told me to go, I heard Carlisle asking Alice just what had gotten into her.

"He's the only one Carlisle…he's the only one who can help her right now." She said, a bit of sadness in her voice.

I still didn't understand what was going on. What could Elizabeth possibly be going through that I was the only one that could help her?

I went along the paths, looking for any sign of her. There was nothing for quite some time. But then, as the breeze was kicking up, that all too delectable scent hit me and I stopped in my tracks.

She was close, I could feel it now. She was no more than a mile or so from here.

Following the scent, I made my way east…towards one of the small creeks that surrounded our home.

As I got closer, another scent began to fill the air. A scent that I also knew all too well.

Before I knew it, I found Elizabeth…and the scene that surrounded her.

She was on her knees and even from far away, I could see that she was shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh, Jesus…" I said quietly but she still heard me. Her head snapped up quickly and she glared at me with those eyes. Eyes that at this moment held nothing but pain and disgust.

"Please don't.." she whispered "just, leave me alone."

It all made sense now. This wasn't some feeble attempt to get us together. Alice was right. I was the _only _one who knew how to deal with this.

"Elizabeth." I approached her slowly "what happened?" not like I needed to know, it was pretty obvious.

"I don't know what came over me…one moment I was just out here all alone and the next…it was like everything stopped and all I was focused on was that smell…that sweet, tortuous smell..and before I knew it, it was all over…I killed him!" she buried her head in her hands, letting tearless sobs wrack her body "he didn't deserve this. He couldn't have been more than seventeen…he had so much to live for and I took it all away from him…"

"Elizabeth, you need to calm down. Things like this happens sometimes. Sometimes, the urge is so strong that we can't control it." I knelt down beside her.

"No! You don't understand…I promised myself that I would never take away an innocent life again…but I did, I'm just this…this horrible monster…I'm just like _you._" She whispered that last part, more so to herself.

I should've been offended by her statement but, how could I be upset over something that the truth? She was right about one thing. I had killed without thinking twice about it. And it was something that I lived with everyday, the guilt she was feeling at this point…I knew what it was like.

But, I couldn't let her slip into that dark hole. She was a good person. She just had a moment of weakness.

"You are anything but…" I grabbed her bloody hands and pulled them away from her face "look at me.." I ordered her when she kept her focus on the body in front of her.

"You cannot beat yourself up over this. We're designed to kill Elizabeth. It's in our nature. Just because you slipped up, it doesn't mean you're a monster…it's going to take you a long time before you can fully resist human blood. It might never happen but you will get better…I promise." I spoke to her calmly yet firmly.

"How can I face them? Especially Carlisle…"

"Carlisle will not hold it against you I assure you. If that were the case, I would've been out on my own when I first moved in with them…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just…don't worry about it. Come on." I stood up and offered her my hand "we need to get you back to the house and cleaned up."

She stood slowly, her knees still shaking. As if she were walking for the first time.

"I don't think I can…" she said, in such a helpless voice.

Without even thinking twice, I easily lifted her up in my arms and began walking.

"You're going to get dirty…"

"I don't care." And I didn't care that the blood that was on her clothes was seeping onto mine or the fact that she had bloody hands wrapped around my neck.

My only concern was that I needed to get her back home. Away from all this.

"I don't want them to see me like this…..oh, god especially Lilly." She began to panic as we approached the house.

"My window's open. Would you mind jumping?" she just shook her head.

Instead of walking back into the house, I turned and walked to the other side where my bedroom window was and jumped up and inside. I set her down on her feet quickly and made my way towards the door.

"I'll go get Esme or someone to come help you get cleaned up…"

"No!" she yelped, walking to me and stopping my hand on the doorknob "I don't want them to help me…it'll be too hard."

"Someone needs to help you."

"Will you help me?" she asked, moving both our hands away from the door and she held onto mine lightly. "please?" she glanced up at me.

And, with her eyes pretty much pleading with me, her hair a mess and with blood covering her all over how could I say no?

This girl was hurting right now…and all she was asking was for me to help her.

I could handle this couldn't I? I guess I was about to find out…

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_So, did you guys enjoy it? _

_I can't wait for the next chapter...if you review, I will give you the teeniest preview if you want! _

_Reviews=LOVE as always.  
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	16. Falling Slowly

Alright you guys, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was with the amount of reviews from the last chapter! You guys must have really liked it! And I hope you all enjoy this one just as much!

As always, big thanks to **Calliope Jones **for her constant help! In fact, she and I are collaborating on a new story right now. It's called **"Within Temptation"** and I think you should all check it out when you're done reading this chapter!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 16: Falling Slowly **

I slowly nudged my head towards my bathroom and stayed about ten feet behind her as she walked inside.

"You start with that..." I waved my hands towards her bloody clothes "and I'll start with this." I turned away from her, turning on the hot water in the bath and filling it with water.

A few minutes, when everything was ready, I turned around and found that she was still fully dressed, her hands shaking as she tried to work on the buttons of her shirt.

"What's taking you so long?" I said a bit too harshly. Even for me.

"There's so much blood." she focused her eyes on the shirt she was wearing. "so much..." her voice grew softer.

What possessed me to walk over to her was beyond me. Like she was luring me in.

"Here, let me." I sighed, brushing her hands away and replaced them with my own.

With each button, each inch of exposed skin, I desperately tried to focus my attention on anything but her.

"You picked the wrong day to wear white." I tried to lighten the mood but her eyes seemed to only fill with more despair.

_Nice move Jasper_.

Once the shirt was off of her, she just stood there, as if she was waiting for me to finish.

"You can handle the rest right?" I asked hopefully. The shirt was one thing...everything else might be tricky.

"I guess so." she shrugged. It was like dealing with a five year old.

"Alright, well...I'll leave you in here so you can finish and get in." I didn't give her time to respond, I just left, shutting the door quickly behind me.

Once back in the privacy in my room, I just about jumped when I saw Alice sitting in my window sill.

"Please tell me you've come to help."

"Unfortunately, no. I just brought some clothes for her to put one when she's done. Or, would you rather she not have them?" she dangled the bag of clothes in front of her.

"Alice, give them to me." I sighed, walking over to grab the bag from her. "why must you do this to me?"

"I'm not doing anything Jasper. She doesn't want any of us right now. She just wants you." she smiled slightly and I got the feeling there was a double meaning in her words. Without any more words, she jumped down gracefully from the window.

"Elizabeth?" I knocked on the door a few times "I got some clothes for you to wear. Can I come in?"

"Um, yea..." her voice was muffled from behind the door. Being as she said yes, I would at least think that she was done or something.

But when I opened the door, she was still sitting inside the bath tub, her legs pulled up against her chest with her arms wrapped tightly against her.

"I thought you were done?" I frowned, setting her clothes on the counter. A closer look and I could see blood still on her arms, face and hair.

"I need help." she said, but she didn't look at me. Her gaze was focused on the wall in front of her.

Well, hell...what was I going to do now? I couldn't just leave her alone.

"Please, Jasper..." her voice cracked. Everything that told me not to move closer was pushed to the back of my mind and I approached her slowly, slowly dropping down my knees when I reached the edge.

I grabbed the shower nozzle, turning the water back on and brought it over so that I could rinse all the blood out of her hair.

"It's hot." she mumbled.

"It's supposed to be hot. Now, please don't move." she just nodded slightly and stayed motionless, her eyes never moving from their place from the wall. The clear water soon turned into a pale shade of pink as everything rinsed off of her.

Her hair still had the smallest trace of blood and I thought it would be good for the smell to be gone. Looking over, I grabbed a bottle of whatever shampoo it was I used and poured a bit into my hands before I started running it through her hair.

And, call me crazy, I swore I heard a deep sigh escape her lips as my fingers worked their ways through the bloody mess.

When I reached a little further over, pushing her hair a bit away from her face to rinse the soap off, I realized that we were in quite the position. In such close proximity to one another.

My eyes had remained focused solely on her hair and the fact that I needed to hurry up and get all this blood off of her.

But, the moment I let my eyes drop a few inches, they instantly landed on all the scars on her back. And, It was like seeing them for the first time again.

The last time, I had refused to look at them fully. This time though, with them just a few inches in front of me, I couldn't resist.

I reached over with my hand, letting my fingers tracing over the one closest to me.

It was small curved one on her right shoulder.

She tensed a bit when I touched her but she didn't pull away. It wasn't exactly a sign that I should continue but I did anyways.

When I reached that particular one...the one that went all along her spine, I was fixated on it.

I had never seen something so twisted...so beautiful.

It started right below her neck and my fingers followed the path of it...until I reached the end of it.

I knew this was wrong. I was invading her.

But, nothing was stopping me. She was so close to me. Worse yet, she was _letting _me feel the wounds of her past.

"They're ugly aren't they?" she whispered, turning her head ever so slightly to look at me, resting her chin on the top of her arm.

"They're beautiful." the words came out of my mouth before I could even think about it. She looked a bit taken aback with that comment but she didn't say anything. She just kept looking at me.

Staring back at her, I saw two people.

With her current red eyes and soft, vulnerable expression....I saw Maria and Evelyn.

The demon and the angel...and they were both staring me in the face at this very moment.

Worse yet, she had no idea. She had unknowingly walked into my life, bringing a whole slew of emotions from my past with her.

"What's wrong?" her voice broke my train of thought and I had to blink a few times to finally get my focus back on her.

_It's just Elizabeth you idiot. _

"Nothing." I lied. There was no way I could say that she had just reminded me of the two women who had made my life heaven and hell.

She just nodded. Thank god she didn't have the energy right now because, she would probably be fighting with me.

But, a part of me knew that she already knew all of this.

What was the matter with this girl?

"I think you're done." I stood up quickly to grab one of the towels. She didn't answer, she just began to stand up from her position.

"Wait!" I practically yelled at her, causing her to stop in her movements "just, hang on a second." I frowned. She obviously still needed my help right? I unfolded the towel, and held it out in front of me.

"Okay…" I told her. She slowly stood up, looking a little embarrassed.

"I'm not looking if that's what you're worried about." I assured her, keeping my eyes focused on the wall behind her. Thankfully, she was a couple inches shorter than me so even when she stood up, there were no accidental glances.

I was half relieved and half disappointed to be honest.

As I kept my focus on the spot on the wall, I could feel her doing the same. Only, her focus was oddly on me. Rather, something _on _me that she couldn't take her eyes off of.

I carefully wrapped the towel around her, making sure it was tight enough so it wouldn't fall off.

Because that would be just what I needed.

For a few moments, we stood there in silence.

Things had reached a very awkward phase now.

"I think you need to get dressed." I looked at her quickly and showed her the pile of clothes that was on the counter.

"Ok."

I didn't respond. I just walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I quickly searched through my closet for something that I could change into.

Three minutes had passed and I figured that she had to be fully dressed by now. I didn't bother knocking on the door, I just opened it back up and walked inside.

"Oh, god Elizabeth why are you _so _slow?" I smirked, she was barely tying the string to her pajama bottoms when her face snapped back up at me.

"Can't you ever knock?"

"This is my bathroom in case you forgot?"

"Fine, I'm almost done…" she grabbed her shirt and pulled it roughly over her head.

I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. Before she covered her chest and stomach with the shirt, I noticed that there were more scars.

"Can you please stop staring?" she asked me softly. "I don't like it."

"Those scars are a part of you. So, you might as well get used to them." I shrugged. It was the truth.

I would know.

I thought she was going to give me some witty response but instead I just watched with uncertainty as she began to walk to closer to me, her eyes, though still red, were soft and warm.

"I can help you." She looked up at me.

"Help me what?" I stepped away from her.

"You're still dirty…" she took step closer to me "your shirt." Another step "your hands" even closer she came "and a bit on your face." she finally reached me, only because I had backed myself up against the wall.

"I can help." She whispered, placing her hand on the side of my face, skimming her fingers over the small path of dried blood. Down the side of face and against my neck.

Her fingers paused when she felt something. It was obviously different. It wasn't the same texture as the rest of my skin.

"A scar?" she looked up at me softly, running her fingers over it again. " You know, you've seen most of mine. So, can I see yours now?" it was like she had forgotten about them for a moment.

_Get her away from you…you know this is going to end up badly…_

"I'm afraid not." I moved and put my hand on top of hers, dropping them from the scar she had suddenly taken so much interest in.

She sighed in defeat.

"You know" she looked down at our still clasped hands "We're upstairs."

"Yes, we are." I shrugged. I didn't need her to point out the obvious.

"Upstairs. Alone. You brought me up here." She tilted her head a little to the side, as if I was supposed to be getting something.

When I didn't get it, she shook her head in frustration.

She dropped my hand and closed the two of three inches that separated us, pressing her body against mine.

"Are you going to have your way or not?" she said, a hint of challenge in her voice.

God help me. My earlier comment, that was said in the heat of the moment, was now coming back to bite me.

"You don't know what you're saying." My voice held very little warning.

"You started this Jasper…you can dish it out but can't handle it?" she pressed herself closer to me.

"Oh, is that so?" I raised my hands and ran them thru her hair. Such the typical girl, she instantly slid her eyes closed, and enjoyed the feeling.

But, soft and sweet wasn't how I was going to play.

She had challenged me

"Is this…" I tightened the grip in her hair and she momentarily winced when I turned her around so that she was the one against the wall now "Is this what you want from me Elizabeth?" still keeping one hand in her hair, I dropped the other one and used it to grab one of her legs and hitched it around me.

"Please…" she breathed out "You know I do…"

"God, what is the matter with you…" I tightened my grip around both her leg and her hair "Don't you understand that _nothing _good will come out of this!"

"You don't know that." She grabbed my shirt with one of her hands and brought me even closer to her.

"Kiss me." She didn't ask, she demanded.

I admired her tone of voice. It was quite attractive. But no, I couldn't give in.

"No."

"Do it Jasper, or I swear to god I'll do it myself." She hissed, trying to move her head but I had her in a pretty tight grip. She wasn't going anywhere I didn't want her to go.

"Oh, I'd love to see you try." I teased her, knowing it would only rile her up even more. Even though I knew this was wrong, who's to say I couldn't have some fun?

"Well, if you'd let me go." She pouted slightly. Why do girls think this pouting nonsense works?

"I'd rather not. I'm quite enjoying the view from here." Pressed against her, I was able to feel every intake of unneeded breath, every move of her muscles, and a much appreciated view of her body.

I let my eyes drop from her burning ones, and soon feel upon the leg that I was still holding tightly against me. In my not so gentle movement, the pair of shorts she was wearing had moved up a few inches, exposing a bit more skin than I'm sure she intended.

And, not to say that it wasn't tempting to just rid her of the damn things, there was something else that caught my attention.

I inched my hand higher up against her skin until it was on her thigh.

"What the hell is _this_?" I ran my fingers against the…well, it sure as hell wasn't a scar.

"It's nothing." She tried to move away but with no luck. "Please, Jasper, I don't want to talk about it…"

"Who did this to you?" I looked up at her quickly, and then back to the strange mark.

There, clear as day, was the word _Mine _etched into her skin. I didn't even want to know how it got there. All I wanted to know is who and why.

"Elizabeth, tell me…" it was my turn to demand. But, unlike me, she gave in instantly.

"Remember Michael?" she asked softly.

I nodded. The man who had forced her to kill. The man who had given her that undeniably beautiful scar on her back.

"Well, let's just say that he was a very possessive and perverse man…and, he always got what he wanted." She leaned her head back against the wall, and my hand loosened a bit from it's grip.

"Were the two of you…" I paused and took a deep breath "lovers?"

"A lover would be willing." Her mouth twisted "I was anything but."

A sudden wave of anger swelled up inside of me.

I suddenly hated this man.

Not because he had forced her to kill for him or tried to kill her.

No, I hated him because he had literally marked her as his own.

And, for some reason, that did not sit well with me.

I couldn't understand why this made me so upset.

But, I had the slightest idea as to why.

Edward has changed her; His own way of marking her.

And now come to find out, this Michael character had also made his mark.

And now, here we were…alone with Elizabeth practically giving herself to me.

And, if she was so willing, then who's to say that _I _couldn't stake my claim on her as well?

"Oh, what an idiot." I mumbled.

"Excuse me? Jasper, what are you talking about?" she called my attention back to her face. She was confused.

"They marked you physically but, what the hell's the point?"

"Who?"

"Edward got you there…" I nodded my head towards the bite mark beneath her collarbone because my hands were otherwise occupied "And Michael got you here." I ran my fingertips over that disturbing mark of hers. "and again I ask, why even bother?"

She just shrugged, still obviously confused my words.

"Jesus Elizabeth, don't you get it…" I pondered for a moment "If you were mine, I'd mark your soul, not your body."

"My soul?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yes. Because physical marks mean nothing…they're just there. But, if you mark someone's soul…you feel it every day and…" I subconsciously pulled her tighter against me "everywhere."

The moment the words came out of my mouth, her eyes immediately softened and she timidly glanced up to meet my gaze.

That wasn't a good sign.

"Then I guess it'd be safe to say that I'm already yours then. I think that you and I both know that I'm slowly falling for…"

"Don't…" I cut her off and my grip on her suddenly loosened and I let her go completely "You can't possibly." I turned and walked away from her.

"But you just said…" I could hear the frown in her voice.

"Oh for God's sakes I was just trying to make a point! It was a hypothetical situation. It by no means was the truth…you can't possibly want to be mine. And I can _never _be yours."

" But.." she came and touched my arm gently "I _do _want to be yours."

"No." I didn't look at her. It would only make things much harder than they already were. "Whatever it is you think you see in me, it isn't real. I'm not this sweet and charming person…I would do nothing but hurt you."

"That's a lie and you know it…" her grip tightened a bit on my arm "We both know what this is really about…"

"Enlighten me." I finally glanced over at her.

"Don't you think its due time you moved on Jasper? Can't you just…get over _her?_"

The very mention of _her_ was enough to send me into a frenzy.

"What do you know about moving on? Like you moved on from what Edward did?"

"That's different." She shook her head. "The things he did to me….they were horrible and inexcusable." She said, her voice shaking a little bit.

"But you're still alive…" I roughly shook out of her grasp "You got a second chance. What about Evelyn? She didn't get a second chance. The things they did to her were horrible as well…"

"That isn't my fault." She tried to defend herself.

"Oh, you naïve little girl…" I smirked "You will never be half the woman that Evelyn was. You'll never be what she was to me."

"Oh, so now the truth finally comes out?"

"What truth? That Evelyn was an angel…and you're what? A killer?"

"The only reason I killed that poor boy…" she pushed against me "Is because of _you._"

"A killer's a killer." I said coldly.

She looked as though she was about to say something but instead she turned away from me and headed towards the door.

The intense amount of hurt she was feeling was almost unbearable.

Before she walked out, she quickly glanced back at me, her eyes dark and a look of disbelief on her face.

I didn't say anything. I simply shut the door.

I had just called her a killer. Something she vowed she would never again after being forced to do it. I knew she wasn't though. She had just slipped up.

But, she had pushed the wrong button with me…I had no choice.

Once I knew she was long gone from my bedroom, I was finally able to take that shower. To get rid of all this dry blood.

As I stood there, letting the water wash away everything, all I could think about was what Elizabeth had told me.

She said that she was already mine.

And, it was pretty evident….as evident as that scar on her leg, that she was telling the truth.

And, I didn't know what petrified me more. The fact that she had said that…or the very thought that was running through my mind at the moment.

I had told her that she would never be what Evelyn was to me.

I meant that in every sense but, the more I thought about it…there seemed to be a double meaning to it.

Yes, Evelyn has been my angel…the one who saved me and then was taken away so viciously. I would always love her. I would never forget her.

Elizabeth could never do that because…the man that Evelyn saved? He doesn't exist anymore. He died the day she was taken away from him.

But now, here I was…with a girl who was so beautifully broken and scarred.

And all she wanted was a chance.

And then it hit me; And it hit me hard.

So much so that I slammed my fist against the shower wall, nearly causing it to break.

I kept pushing her away…further and further. Saying things I didn't really mean; Acting in ways that I shouldn't be.

I was doing it because I didn't want to get hurt again. Getting in too deep would only cause more pain.

Elizabeth was falling for me. This I was certain of. I could see it in her eyes. I could sense it.

She was drawn to me like a magnet.

But, if she was falling for me…what did that mean for me?

Surely I wasn't…was I?

"No…" I sighed to myself. "This was just all a big misunderstanding."

Elizabeth had obviously mistaken my helping her as something way more.

She witnessed a side of me that rarely ever comes out.

She thought she was breaking through.

But, I was just helping her. I would've done the same for anyone else in this family.

Wouldn't I?

But, as I shut off the water and went about getting dressed, my thoughts were telling me otherwise.

_Elizabeth isn't just anyone. She's a constant reminder of your past. And, you love that about her. _

"I do not." Why would I want to be around someone who brings up so many terrible memories?

_Yes you do. Because by her constantly pushing you, she's trying to give you a second chance. _

"A second chance for what?"

_A second chance to live…and love again. _

What the hell? Where did _that _come from?

"Second chances don't exist." I shrugged indifferently.

Any chance I had at living and loving died a long time ago.

And I hardly doubt that _one _girl was going to change that.

Regardless of what she may be feeling towards me, I couldn't let myself do the same.

* * *

Wow. Different sides of Jasper in this chapter!

Let me know what you guys think...and since people seemed to like it, I'll send you another tiny preview if you review.

Oh, and don't forget to go and read **"Within Temptation." **


	17. Break Apart Her Heart

A/N: You guys are So amazing with the reviews! Fourteen last chapter! As always, BIG thanks to _Calliope Jones_ because she gives the best help with my stories!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 17: Break Apart Her Heart**

Walking out of Jasper's bedroom had to be one of the most humiliating things I've perhaps ever had to do. It sort of reminded me of the 'walk of shame.' But, in my case, there was nothing to be ashamed of. No, if anything, I felt weak and disgusted.

I had let him see me in one of my weakest moments and he helped me without question. I let him touch the scars. I let him do pretty much whatever he wanted to just now. And yet, I had gotten nothing in return.

It was really starting to feel like a double standard. To the point that he could demand anything from me and I would too willingly tell or show him. But, the moment I ask him for the same in return, he completely shut down and pushed me away.

But, even though I was extremely upset with him, there was another part of that was way too content than I should be. Because, for one moment, I thought I had him. I thought for sure he was going to give into me. I had given him my best attempt at flirting. For god sakes, I had backed him up against the wall. So close and yet, in a split second, he turned the tables once again and he was the one in charge.

Some people would find it a bit disturbing but, the way he was holding me in place against that wall, probably getting a nice view and feel of everything, was surprisingly pleasurable. I don't know what that said about me though. I knew it wasn't really right what he was doing to me but, when it comes to Jasper, is anything ever really 'right?'

Oh god but then he saw that mark. The one that I didn't want him to see. All the other ones were fine but that one, it stirred up too many bad memories and it was the only one that I couldn't make up some story about. It was pretty obvious what Michael's intentions were when he did it. A mark that would stay with me forever to show that I, at one point in time, had _belonged _to him. It was sick and disturbing. But then he had to go and touch it. Running his fingers across it like it was the most fascinating thing. I was beside myself when he did it. So much to the point that I was about to open my mouth and say that he was more than welcome to leave his own mark if he wanted to. Because God knows he's already made a lasting impression on me. Why not make it official?

But, like always, he beat me to the punch. He went on his whole 'I'd mark your soul' spill because that meant I could feel it every day. How the hell was I supposed to respond to _that_? So, I did the only way I knew how. I told him the truth. I pretty much admitted that I _am _falling for him. But, as usual, it just went right over his head and he broke the delicious contact we had.

And then everything just went down the drain after that. And now, here I was, walking down the hall, feeling very much rejected. I thought he was helping because he cared but, maybe I was wrong again. Maybe he was just doing it because he felt sorry for me. Well, at least feeling sorry was better than nothing right?

I thought about going downstairs, to go and explain to everyone what happened but about two things stopped me. I was pretty certain that Lilly was downstairs and I didn't want her to see me like this. With my eyes still so red. They would perhaps terrify her and I didn't want to do that.

The other was Alice. I'm almost positive that she had probably already informed them what I had done. In fact, I would bet anything that she was the one who sent Jasper out there to help me. It was sort of embarrassing to think that she most likely saw all that went down in the bathroom. Not that she would say anything but, Alice sometimes didn't have a filter when it came to her visions. So, she could've very likely let them slip through her thoughts. And, I didn't even want to get into _that_ right now.

So, I made the decision to just go to my room and just stay in there for awhile so I could get my head back on straight without any distractions.

Well, wishful thinking once again. I just about jumped out of my skin when I opened the door and was greeted with the sight of two people in my room. Luckily, I didn't scream. I just watched in silence for a few moments.

"Oh." I whispered, shutting the door shut behind me "I didn't know she was in here."

"She fell asleep about ten minutes ago." Edward stood up and walked towards me. "God Elizabeth, your eyes. They're so red." he shook his head a tiny bit. Like...like he was disappointed in me or something.

"Please Edward, I don't need a lecture about what I've done. I'm already dealing with enough guilt on my own. Can you spare me?"

"Actually." his voice quickly took on a different tone "I was going to empathize you. Come, sit." he motioned for the two of us to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"You know what I did don't you?"

"Yes. But, don't be angry with Alice. She can't help it sometimes." See, I knew it. But, as long as that's all he saw in her mind, then I would be alright.

"It's fine. You all were going to find out eventually. It's pretty obvious." I sighed.

"Well, let me assure you that no one will judge you Elizabeth. They all know how hard it is to control the bloodlust sometimes. We can't help it. But, we understand."

"Funny. That's what Jasper said."

"Yes well, he certainly knows what it's like to take an innocent life."

I opened my mouth but then quickly shut it. I suddenly felt like I didn't have the energy to try and defend Jasper at the moment. Not like he would appreciate it anyways.

He would just tell me that he didn't need my help…again.

"Elizabeth, did something happen between the two of you?" I glanced back at Edward and his face looked genuinely concerned. It was a bit odd. Since when did he care so much?

"No. Nothing." I shrugged. "Not like it matters."

I was trying and yet, nothing seemed to be working. Or, the moment I thought I was getting through, he shuts me out completely.

I wish I knew everything. I only knew what he had told me. There had to be more this his story right? And, there had to be a way to get the information.

And that's when the idea hit me. I knew exactly where I could go.

"I don't know what you have planned Elizabeth but, if there's something you need to do, I'd be more than happy to sit in here and watch Lilly."

"Really?" my eyes searched his face for any sign of anger.

"Yes. I don't mind at all. Go." he patted my hand gently. "We'll be here waiting when you get back." He even threw in his infamous smile. I just rolled my eyes. That smile may work on his wife and any other woman but, I knew what was behind that smile. A person who I, unfortunately, met first hand.

Anyways, it wasn't his smile that drove me crazy. No, the one person my cold heart reacted to just so happened to want nothing to do with me.

"Oh, Elizabeth." Edward laughed lightly "I wasn't trying to persuade you with my smile. I was just trying to be friendly. I promise."

"Okay then." I shook my head and went over to kiss Lilly before I made way out the bedroom and down the hall.

With one more glance, I quietly shut the door, leaving Lilly to take her nap and Edward to watch over her.

I reached the room I needed to go into. I hesitantly knocked on the door.

"Come in." A cheerful voice came from the inside.

When I walked in, I found who I was looking for.

"Oh, Elizabeth!" Alice beamed when she saw me. But, behind the big smile was a hint of sadness. At least she wasn't upset, she was actually worried.

"I'm sorry to interrupt…" I looked over at Alice and her husband. She was practically molded against his side and with one arm he was reading something while the other was securely wrapped around her.

A pang of sudden jealousy shot through my system.

What I wouldn't give to have that kind of love.

_Well, keep on dreaming. _

"Elizabeth?" Alice was suddenly in front of me "What is it?"

"I um, I need to talk to Luca about something. If that's okay with you?"

"Oh." She nodded as her eyes glazed over a bit and at the same time she had her vision, I saw it too. "Well, I guess you know my answer." She laughed.

She didn't move away though. She seemed to be fixated on my eyes.

"I know." I sighed "How long will they stay this color?"

"My guess is about two days. If you go hunting, the red will start to fade away quicker."

"It's just so odd to have this eye color. Again."

"Don't worry Elizabeth, after a day or so, you'll be good as new." She assured me.

"Yes, but that doesn't change what I've done."

"We all make mistakes sometimes. We aren't going to hold it against you." She embraced me quickly and tightly "Now, may I ask why you've come to see my husband?"

"I need his help." I looked over at him and he nodded slowly.

"May I ask what for Elizabeth?" he asked politely and walked over towards me and Alice.

"About Jasper. Well, his past." I bit my lip, expecting him to laugh at me or something.

"His past?" he tilted his head "I thought the two of you have discussed his past?" he shot a quick glance over at Alice who merely shrugged.

"We have. I know I shouldn't be doing this but, I just really need to know. I need to know what I'm up against…"

"I thought you said he told you?"

"He did. But, I have a feeling that there's a lot that he left out. Things he refuses to tell me. And, I've told him practically everything and he doesn't have the decency to tell me…so, this is my only other option."

"Dear Elizabeth, do you not think that perhaps that there is a reason why he hasn't told you?"

"Of course there is. But, I just want to know why he's always acting like this. No normal person can go from being somewhat compassionate one moment to being completely cold and ruthless the next. I can't help him unless I know…"

He contemplated my reasoning for a few minutes before finally agreeing.

"Give me your hand." He whispered and I gave it to him quickly. But, I was in no way prepared for the things that I saw.

Things flashed before my now closed eyes. I saw him and Evelyn. God, she was beautiful. I saw what it was like the night he found her, bruised and beaten. Hearing about it was one thing but, seeing it was utterly heartbreaking. And then things flashed to after he had been changed and that was even more horrible. To see the way that Maria used him was almost unbearable. And what was worse, he _let _her use him. He did whatever was asked of him. And then, I saw something that I thought I had been ready to see…_his scars_. I saw how when he was fighting, it was ruthless, and he was attacked viciously. But, he never gave up. He always got up, never surrendering. The scars he attained were everywhere. They covered nearly every inch of him. As I watched the various battles he fought in, it just increased the urge to see them for myself even more. Not because I didn't believe they were real but, because there was this need inside of me. A part of my The scars he attained were everywhere. They covered nearly every inch of him. As I watched the various battles he fought in, it just increased the urge to see them for myself even more. Not because I didn't believe they were real but, because there was this need inside of me. A part of me _yearned _to touch them. And then suddenly, with another flash, all the battles were gone and I saw glimpses of his early years here with the Cullens. The early years where he had many slip ups and killed dozens of innocent lives without so much as blinking.

When Luca pulled away from me, I let out an audible gasp. And I was feeling both full anguish and anger. Anguish because he had to endure all of that. And anger because he didn't tell me. He had made it seem far less serious than it actually was. No wonder he was so…so damaged.

It should've made me want to run away, to keep as far away as possible from him. But, it had the complete opposite effect on me. I wanted to get closer to him, get to the point where he trusted me completely. Get the point where he would open up to me and the two of us could…

"Oh, god!" I snapped my head up and looked over at Alice who had the same look of surprise on her face.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting twist." She smiled at me slightly.

"What is it Alice?" Luca asked her.

"Elizabeth and Jasper…if she can get him to open up to her…to fully trust her…then the two of them…" her rambling voice was cut off when the door swung open.

"Alice! I need to talk to you…" a voice entered the room and I winced slightly.

"Oh, hi Jasper…what's wrong?" Alice tried to play it off and she walked over to him. But he ignored her and peered over her, and met my nervous gaze.

"What are you doing in here?" he glared at me.

"Talking." I shrugged. Which, that was true to a certain extent.

"About?" he looked at me and then over to Luca. And suddenly, he snapped. He marched straight over to where I was standing and gripped the top of my arms tightly and looked down at me.

"Why in the hell are you looking at me like that Elizabeth!" he hissed "What did he show you!" he yelled and I winced again. He had figured it out. God, I was a horrible actress apparently. Especially when I'm sure I was holding a look of utter fear and remorse on my face.

"Nothing…" I stammered. "We were just talking." I lied, praying that it would work.

"Don't _lie _to me." He gripped me tighter "Tell me Elizabeth."

Fine, he wanted the truth. I would tell him the truth. He wasn't about to keep treating me like this.

"Fine. You want to know what he showed me Jasper? He showed me what you've been too afraid to tell and show me yourself! All this time, you were downplaying everything you went through. I've told you _everything _and I'm seeing now that you've shown me _nothing!" _

"I don't owe you anything."

"Yes you do! You can't keep shutting me out! When are you going to see that I'm not like them Jasper!? I know you went through so much. It was horrible, I saw it. But, know that I would _never _hurt you. I only want to help you…can't you see what's right on front of you?" I stared straight into his eyes, not being able to do much more than that with his iron grip on me.

"Damn it Elizabeth, I'm not blind!" he dropped his hands and let me go "Of course I see what's right in front me! I see this amazingly beautiful scarred girl…god, those scars…you have no idea what they do to me Elizabeth. Every time I see them, I want nothing more than to just take you and touch every single one of them and…" he cut himself off when he realized that he perhaps had said too much.

I blinked my eyes a few times and just stared at him, dumbfounded.

He just called me amazing. Dear God he had just called me _beautiful. _

"You think…" I glanced down at the ground and then up at him "I'm beautiful?"

"Oh, Jesus Christ and then when you look at me like _that _….you have no idea the amount of control I have to put myself under. It shouldn't even be legal. The things you do to me Elizabeth…"

I had to suppress my laughter at that statement. Surely if I were human, I would've blushed tremendously.

In that moment, I realized that he was breaking my heart. But, in some weird, twisted way, he was breaking it in a good way. Perhaps because it was already broken...we were both broken and he was suddenly coming to realize this himself?

I was so consumed by these sudden revelations that the sound of Alice yelling in Italian completely threw me off guard. I regrettably pulled my gaze away from Jasper to look over at Alice's panic stricken face. In my heated conversation, I had not gotten drift of her vision.

"Alice what is it!" I grabbed her hands as she stared wide eyed at me. She continued yelling in Italian. That didn't help me because I didn't understand the language.

"Luca, what is she saying?" I looked at her husband and he had the same look of shock on his face.

Alice yelled something again and then grabbed my hand. So, I'm pretty sure she was saying 'come with me.' She literally was dragging me down the hall until we reached my bedroom door.

"Alice, I…" I shook my head in confusion. She pushed me out of the way and swung the door open and walked inside.

I followed right behind her…and it took me all of two seconds to finally piece everything together.

And, with a piercing cry, I turned and grabbed Alice.

"Where!" I cried. She didn't answer me, she was still in shock "Alice where did he take her!!"

"I don't know." She weakly answered me back and my hands immediately dropped from hers as I fell to the ground, my head now buried in my hands and fear and tearless sobs overtook my sense.

_This isn't happening! _My mind screamed at me over and over. _How could he do this to me!!_

"Elizabeth…" a cold, hard voice called me away from my thoughts. "Let's go." I felt someone stand me back on my feet.

I just nodded slowly and followed him.

In an instant, everything had been taken from me…and now…now _everything _was on the line.

My only hope is that we weren't too late.

**~Edward~**

Her decision to let Jasper help her was what started all this.

Usually I try to block the thoughts of the others but, this time, I couldn't.

What were these scars that he was so obsessed with? Who was Michael and what exactly had he done to Elizabeth?

But, more importantly, how did Jasper know all about these things?

Why did she trust him so much? To the point that she was showing him things that no one else knew about.

And then it hit me. The moment she confirmed what I had already been so certain of.

Elizabeth was falling for Jasper. And she was falling hard.

And that's when this plan went into motion.

Jasper would never love Elizabeth. He was too damaged to love her.

He would break her heart and she would be devastated.

Too devastated to want to be here any longer.

When it happened, she would leave and she would take Lilly with her.

And...I couldn't let that happen.

So, the decision was simple.

It had to be instant and seemingly unplanned. And, as I heard Elizabeth and Jasper yelling at one another...I knew now was a perfect time.

She would be too consumed to see it. Alice wouldn't get here in time.

And so I took my daughter...took her before Elizabeth could take her from me.

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Wow, I can't believe that just happened!!

Reviews=LOVE and a tiny preview if you want it!


	18. Lost and Found

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay you guys but, I was lacking major inspiration for part of this chapter. But, as luck would have it, it came back...and I've spent all night working on this for you guys!! Enjoy! **

**As usual, thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! You all are amazing!**

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****Chapter 18:Lost and Found  
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**Jasper**

Never in my long life have I been completely caught off guard than in those five minutes in the room with Elizabeth, Alice and Luca.

It was just my original intention to just walk into that bedroom and have a little chat with Alice, maybe sweet talk my way into just what exactly what Elizabeth had planned when it came to me. Yes, it would've been almost like an invasion of her privacy but, I had to know.

But, wouldn't you know it, she beat me to it. When I walked in and saw her standing there, I knew something was up.

And then, she had to go and just look at me with what had to be the guiltiest look on her face.

That's when I figured it out. She had somehow convinced Luca to show her my past, the parts that I hadn't told her. Or, had held back when I talked about them.

And so, I snapped at her. But, in true Elizabeth fashion, she turned the tables on me and called me out on the things I had hid from her. And it hit me hard.

So much so that I just started shouting things at her, things she was never supposed to hear.

Things like how I thought she was beautifully scarred and how she had the craziest effect on me…creating feelings that I shouldn't be having towards her.

And that's when it happened. That's when Alice completely froze, terror taking over her tiny frame. For a few seconds, it was complete torture watching Alice with that look on her face. I knew it wasn't good before we even walked down the hall, towards Elizabeth's room.

The room where her daughter was supposed to be in. With her father watching over her.

I knew they were gone before she even opened the door. I felt no emotions in the room, meaning it was empty.

When it all finally clicked in Elizabeth's mind what had happened, she lost it. With such a gut wrenching cry, she begged Alice for answers. Answers she couldn't provide. When Elizabeth dropped to the floor, my initial reaction was to drop to my knees and wrap my arms around her, in hopes of trying to comfort her.

But, she didn't have time to be comforted. Her daughter was missing and she needed to be found.

So, using the years of military experience I had, I grabbed one of her arms and stood her up.

"Elizabeth, let's go." My voice was cold and hard, even more so than usual. But, much to my surprise, she just nodded and the four of us quickly made our way downstairs to the living room, where the rest of the family had gathered, after hearing all the noise upstairs.

"What's going on?" Carlisle was the first to speak once we were all in the living room "Where's Edward?" he noted the absence of his son.

"He's gone" I answered him "And he took Lilly with him." I clarified and audible gasps filled the room.

"He what!" Rosalie gritted her teeth from her spot on the couch, forcing Emmett to grip her arm tightly so she wouldn't move.

Before anyone could say anything else, I saw Elizabeth quickly cross the room, over to where Bella was standing, a look of utter shock written on her face. And then, in a blink of an eye, there was a loud sound in the living room and my eyes nearly popped out at the sight of Elizabeth…slapping Bella.

"You…" she grabbed her shoulders "Where did he take _my _daughter?!" she screamed.

"I…I don't know. I swear Elizabeth, I don't know where he took her…I didn't even know…" Bella was in shock and I could tell her from her emotions that she was telling the truth.

She had no idea what her husband had just did.

Elizabeth looked like she was going to strike Bella again and I couldn't let that happen. Quickly I went to them and grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"Save the anger for someone else Elizabeth." I gripped her arm tighter as we crossed the room "She didn't have any part in this."

She didn't answer me, she just shook out of my grasp and stood there.

"How could I have been so blind? How could I let him fool me like that? I should've known better..." she murmured softly to herself.

"Elizabeth, you can't blame yourself. Now is not the time!" Rosalie jumped up of the couch and stood before her. Her eyes were wild, as she glared around the room "Well, are we just going to sit around here and not do anything!" she screamed and Elizabeth just stared at her before the same look of vengeance crossed over her face as well.

No longer concerned with Bella, Elizabeth's anger was only centered on one person now.

As I watched my sister and Elizabeth, I crossed my arms and, as I stared at these two women, I couldn't help but smirk. He didn't know it but, Edward was about to get what was coming to him. He was such an idiot. You never, I mean NEVER mess with someone's child. I had never seen Elizabeth so angry. She was in a rage. Such a beautiful rage and she looked breathtaking.

And, then with Rosalie added to the mix, he wasn't going to stand a chance.

And you know what? I felt not one ounce of remorse for him. Because, the moment my so called brother decided to foolishly take Elizabeth's daughter, any respect I ever had for him went with him.

And now…now, he was the enemy.

"Why are we still here!" Rosalie yelled again but this time Emmett was up and wrapping an arm around her.

"We need to find Lilly…now." She hissed.

"Alice, you don't know where he took her?" Carlisle asked and she shook her head.

"He knows how to manipulate my power…he knows as long as he keeps changing in his mind, even if it's in his head, we'll have no way of tracking him."

"We have to split…we need to find them." Emmett nodded, his choice already made. For it being his niece that was taken, he was extremely calm. Too calm. And that was a bad sign. It meant it hadn't hit him yet.

The room exploded into three conversations. I just stood there, silent and so did Elizabeth. She was just listening, her feelings of anxiety growing by the second.

"Wait!" Emmett yelled, ceasing all talking in the room "What happens if we _do _find him?" almost instantaneously, all eyes shifted towards Elizabeth, including me. I could feel her apprehension. I had no idea what she was going to say. She was such a compassionate person, she would never…

"You do what it takes to get my daughter back Emmett." She cut my thoughts off and I did a double take of her.

"Oh, Elizabeth no!" Esme covered her mouth in shock and turned towards Carlisle "Please, tell her Carlisle…that's our son!" she grabbed his shirt and pleaded with him.

"Yes Esme" he nodded his head "But…" he sighed "What Edward did was wrong. And, even though I would never dream of him having to suffer from his mistake…we cannot control what may happen to him now." And she just clung onto him tighter, sobs wracking her body.

I glanced back at Elizabeth. She was emotionless. It was like she was shutting down. She didn't want to feel anything right now. She, of course, was terrified. But at the same time, she was livid. I could tell by the way she was standing. Like, if someone approached her the wrong way, she would take their head off.

And the more I watched her, the angrier I grew with Edward. Once again he was putting her through hell. But, this time, he wasn't going to win.

She had just given us permission to do 'whatever it takes' to get her daughter back. And I sure as hell was going to make sure she kept to her word if the time came. Edward wouldn't stand a chance if I, Emmett, or Rosalie found him first. I wouldn't think twice before I ripped the idiot to shreds. I wasn't about to let him do this to her again.

And apparently I wasn't the only one with that idea. I saw Emmett come closer to Elizabeth and place a hand on her shoulder.

"I swear to you Lizzie, we'll find them." He said, his voice thick with emotion. I don't think I'd ever seen Emmett so emotional.

Then again, this was _his _family we were talking about.

"I just want my baby back." Elizabeth broke and buried her head against her brother's chest as she sobbed helplessly. "I just want my baby."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, trying to comfort her in a way that only a family member could.

"We'll get her back Lizzie, I promise you." He rubbed her back soothingly. I watched his eyes, they had grown dark with anger and he was standing there, and I could tell that it had hit him now. And he wasn't dealing very well internally. But, for his sister's sake, he was holding it in.

"We should go." Rosalie insisted again "Before more time is wasted."

**Elizabeth**

Hearing Rosalie speak again, I pulled away from the comforting embrace of my brother and nodded.

"How?" I asked.

"We'll go in pairs…" Emmett answered. I looked around, and it was obvious who was going with who. Which, that only left me with Jasper and Bella.

"Should I stay here? Unless he comes back?" Bella suggested and it was actually a good idea. Which meant, that I was stuck with the only other single vampire.

I turned towards Jasper and he was staring back at me, a look of anger and hesitation in those eyes of his.

"Don't argue Jasper." Alice sighed "It's the only way. It needs to be male and female…we can't take any chances." She whispered, leaning into her husband for support. She was weak and tired, it was obvious in her eyes.

"Chances for what? You don't think Edward would actually try and hurt one of us do you?" I frowned.

"I don't know what he's capable anymore. If he did this, who knows what else he'll do."

"Fine, fine let's go!" Rosalie throws her hands up.

Before we depart, explicit directions are given to us…that we travel a certain amount of distance before we all stop and call one another at hotels or someplace like that. We will continue to do this until we find them. I don't know how it'll work but, right now, it's all we can do.

When we leave, we all go off in different directions. North, South, East and West. We're covering all grounds and fast. But, my baby doesn't have a lot of time. I need to find her before he takes her further away from me.

Jasper and I took off running, neither of us saying anything to one another. What were we supposed to talk about? Now definitely wasn't the time to bring up our conversation before all of this happened. I tried to focus all my attention solely on my daughter, pushing myself further with every mile we traveled.

We continued this pattern for three days. Running, hunting, stopping at our designated spots to get reports from everyone else. And each time they say there's no sight of Edward, my anxiety grows bigger.

"We should've found him by now!" I snapped this morning as we were getting ready to leave.

"Elizabeth" Jasper sighed "Will you please shut up?" he glared at me.

"Shut up? My daughter is _missing…_and you're telling me to shut up?!"

"Yelling about it isn't going to make us find her any quicker. You need to channel that anger into something positive…focus on your daughter and finding her…and ripping Edward to pieces when we find him."

I was caught off guard by his blunt statement.

"Wait, you what? Jasper, you're not really…"

"Did you not say that we were supposed to do anything to get Lilly back?"

"Yes." I whispered

"Well, if we find him…you better believe I'm going to make sure you make due on that statement. Because, I'm not letting him take you down again…If I find him, I will in no way spare his life." He was completely and brutally honest with me.

"But why? You would kill your brother…for _me_?"

"Jesus Elizabeth" he stood up "Do you not remember the conversation we were having before this all happened? You do things to me…I'm not even going to lie about it anymore. And, the moment Edward took your daughter, I lost all respect for him…I hate the fact that he's hurting you again…and I won't let him get away with it. Do you understand me!" he yelled at me and I jumped off the bed at the force in his voice.

"Yes" I squeaked, trying to regain my voice.

"Let's go." He headed out towards the door.

"We aren't down talking about that little chat…just so you know." I followed him outside. And, for a brief moment, I saw a tiny smile flash across his face.

"You never do Elizabeth. You never let me forget anything when it comes to you." He mumbled before we started running again.

We ran for a good five hours today. I didn't even know where we were anymore. Everything just sort of blended together at this point.

It was beginning to grow dark and a slight drizzle was hitting us as we kept running. We slowed down a bit, the both of us both emotionally tired of running in silence.

Going at this slower pace, I was able to actually take the chance to sneak a few glances as Jasper as we maneuvered through the trees. With the fresh rain beginning to descend, he looked so incredibly…breathtaking. With all that water just falling freely off his hair and the moisture making his shirt stick to him in all the right places, I couldn't help but stare.

What normal woman wouldn't be floored by the vision beside me?

"You know, it's not fair…you keep staring at me, not giving me even a second to do the same to you." He smirked at me. And I knew I was caught. But, I didn't know whether to be humiliated or flattered.

"Well, I can always…" I was about to answer him before I was met with something very familiar. I came to a complete halt in the middle of everything and just stopped.

"Oh, God….they're here Jasper." I looked frantically around, trying to see where the scents were coming from. And then I spotted it. There, not more than a mile from where I was standing was a small cottage, nestled in between all the tall trees. I was all set to make a run for it...

"Wait Elizabeth." Jasper grabbed my hand and I quickly relished in the touch before looking at his determined eyes "We have to be smart about this. He can hear our thoughts…so we can't think of him or Lilly. Or anything that would give us away for that matter…can you do that?"

"Yes. What else?"

"He'll know we're coming before we even reach the house though. So, do you think you can handle if we split for a few minutes…I'll go through the back and you through the front? We can't give him a chance to get away."

"Okay." I nodded quickly. I just wanted to get to my daughter. That's all that mattered to me.

"Alright, let's go." He let go of my hand as we quickly and thoughtlessly approached the house.

As we got closer, the more distinct the scents became. I recognized Lilly's right away. And I would never be able to forget Edwards, no matter how hard I tried too.

But, when he got about fifteen feet away from the cottage, I was met with another scent.

A scent that I hoped to never, _ever _encounter again.

I froze again, fear resonating all through my system.

No, this wasn't happening. Not here, not now!

The past year or so, I thought I was free. I thought I didn't have to worry about _him _ever again.

As I stood there, I just begged and pleaded that my baby was safe….because I realized now that she was in more danger than I originally thought.

Not even looking behind me, I mustered all the courage I had and just headed straight for that door…not even realizing that Jasper was nowhere near me anymore.

Opening the door, the sight I encountered was enough to make me completely shatter and break down.

And with a shape intake of breath, my presence was suddenly acknowledged.

_It was now or never_.

**Jasper**

I was only able to take a good look at Elizabeth's expression of sheer terror for a split second before I was hit with something.

A scent that, no matter where I went in this life, would _never _be able to forget. No matter how hard I tried.

That scent of roses and vanilla. The smell that used to make me burn with desire….now only made me burn with fury.

Before I could pinpoint it, I felt myself being turned around and coming face to face with my demon.

"Hola querido...miss me?" the voice was smooth and seductive…everything a secret weapon should be.

Four words and I almost snapped completely. But, before I could act or say anything, there was a loud commotion coming from inside that little cottage and I quickly remembered why I was here.

My idiotic brother.

Lilly.

_Elizabeth_.

I narrowed my eyes towards where I needed to be but, a cold hand stopped me.

"And just where do you think you're going Jasper?"

I knew where I needed to be but, at the moment, one thing was stopping me.

Rather, one person.

The one person who, I vowed if I ever saw again I would destroy and burn all the pieces. But, standing here in this moment, I was frozen.

It had been centuries but, the effect was still the same. Whenever _she _was around, I went weak. It was like I became submissive.

Only she could achieve this.

Only she could hold this power over me.

And, looking at her, I completely hated her…more than ever before.

It was because of this woman that I had turned into the person I was today.

It was one of the main reasons as to why Elizabeth couldn't reach me…

_Maria._

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**Wow, talk about turning up the drama!! **

**Can I just say that I want a brother like Emmett...Jasper's POV's are the best...and things are about to just, explode! **

**Reviews=LOVE...and of course, a teeny, tiny preview!  
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	19. The Manipulators

**A/N: You guys are the best with your reviews!! Thank you so much. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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****Chapter 19: The Manipulators **

**~Elizabeth~**

Opening the door, the sight I encountered was enough to make me completely shatter and break down.

And with a shape intake of breath, my presence was suddenly acknowledged.

_It was now or never_.

"Mommy!" one word and it seemed as if all the tension had been broken. But, I knew what lurked underneath. There was real danger in this room.

Lilly jumped off the couch and ran straight into my arms. I held her tightly against me, never wanting to let her go again. She didn't know it but, her life was in so much danger at this very moment. I needed to get her out of her. But, without Jasper, there's no way I could do this alone. He was supposed to be here by now and yet, there was no sign of him.

My only option was to create some sort of distraction until he showed up.

"Are you okay baby?" I held Lilly closer to me.

"Yea" she giggled "Daddy and I went on vacation. And now you're here mommy!" she clapped her hands and smiled brighter.

"Yes, I'm here now honey." I stood there, not knowing where to go next. And that's when I saw him getting up off the couch and walking over to me. And there was no way in hell that he was coming near my daughter. So, I did the absolute last thing I wanted to do; I walked over to where Edward was standing, a confused look on his face.

"Please hold _our _daughter Edward." I hissed slightly handing him our daughter. _And so help me God if you try and run…_I threw in with my thoughts.

I turned and focused my attention back on the other person in the room.

"Hello Elizabeth." That rough cold voice sent shivers up my spine. Right up along my scar. The scar that _he _had given me.

"Hello Michael." I whispered softly, trying to avoid his gaze. One look and he'd gain the upper hand.

_Michael? The man who gave you your scars? The man who tried to destroy you? _Edward's thoughts floated into my mind, one after the other. I gave him the slightest nod. How he knew that was beyond me but at the moment, his invasion of privacy was the last thing on my mind.

_You're no better than he is Edward. Don't even play the sympathy card with me right now. All I want is my daughter and I'm going to do everything to make sure that neither of your see her again. _

"How did you find me?" I asked and Michael just laughed.

"I assure you, I didn't do much. Actually, the boy over there made it much easier than we originally thought." He nodded his head towards Edward. "I never forgot dear Lilly's scent and we just so happened to be passing through here when we stumbled upon the two of them. We knew it was a long shot but, we had a feeling that you two would be showing up soon."

"What do you mean we?" I looked at him in confusion.

Before he could answer me, I heard the front door open again and I quickly around. Praying to god that it was Jasper. There was no way I could handle both these men on my own.

But, as I turned to face the door I saw that it wasn't just Jasper standing there. There was woman standing beside him. A woman who looked oddly familiar. I stared at her face for a few moments, trying to figure out where I had seen her before. It took me awhile but suddenly I remembered the things that Luca had showed me from Jasper's past. And suddenly the woman's face name rang through my head.

_Maria. _

One name and it sent me into an uncontrolled rage. Not even thinking, I began walking closer to Maria, hoping to rip this woman to pieces. It was because of her that Jasper was so hurt, so damaged…and scarred.

When I was only a few feet away from her, I went to attack her, practically lunging at her when someone stepped in and stopped me.

"Elizabeth, stop." I looked up and saw Jasper staring down at me, holding my wrists tightly at my sides.

"But she…" I began as more anger began flowing through me "That _bitch _destroyed you!" I screamed at him trying to get him off of me. He didn't even wince.

"Stop." He repeated again, this time with more authority in voice. "You will not harm a hair on her head do you understand me." He clenched his jaw and stared at me with such intensity.

I didn't understand this. Was he actually _defending _her?

He dropped my wrists and turned back to Maria, who wrapped her arm around Jasper and placed a kiss on his cheek. I knew what she was doing. We may be centuries apart but we were both still women. And at this very moment, she was trying to send a message. A message that clearly stated that Jasper was hers.

And even though I knew Jasper would never reciprocate those feelings back towards her, I still couldn't help but my feel my cold heart ache. A feeling that Jasper without a doubt could feel coming from me. But, nothing changed in his facial expression. Years of fighting and being with Maria had made him like that. And it made me hate her even more.

As he stood there with her, it looked like something came over him and he shook his, clearly disgusted with something. However, he made no attempts to walk away from her. It was like she had him under her spell.

And at that moment, I was able to witness first hand just the amount of power that she still had over him. He may hate her with a passion but, when he was with her, he wasn't the one in control anymore. She held all the cards, she called the shots. It was absolutely repulsive as well as heartbreaking.

"Maria, why are you doing this?" he asked her in a low tone, barely turning to look at her. And I hated seeing him like this. This wasn't the Jasper I knew. Regardless of how much of a jerk and cold hearted man he acted like, he was always strong and fearless. But, standing with Maria, he looked weak and helpless.

"Because dear Jasper, I've come back for what has always been mine..." she glanced at me, a look of pure hatred in her eyes. Her thoughts reflecting that of a betrayed lover.

"I belong to no one Maria." Jasper's voice was dark and emotionless.

"Ay, querido...I may not be an empath or mind reader but, I'm not stupid. We did spend a very long time together....I know you better than anyone else."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He shrugged, keeping his eyes focused on anything other than Maria or me.

"Keep telling yourself that mi amor. I knew that you would be with her."

"How did you find them?"

"It was quite simple. I have been searching for you for quite a long time Jasper. And one night, I ran into Michael over down in Texas and we got to talking and the subject of Elizabeth came up and how he was searching for her. And that's when he got word about a coven near here who had recently acquired two new members, one of them a small child. We also were given word of all the other members and their physical characteristics. I knew then that I had found you. "

Jasper just stood there, taking in all the information, letting it process in his head.

"We had planned on coming straight to the house but, it just so happened that while we were traveling, dear Michael was able to catch baby Lilly's scent and we just dropped in to say hello. Edward over there was such the cordial host, even letting us hold the child." She smiled wickedly over at me and I felt my anger rising once more.

"She _is _a beautiful little girl Elizabeth. And she smells just as enticing."

"Stay away from my daughter." I clenched my fists at my side.

"I knew that she was your daughter and that you would probably come looking for her. I also knew that there was no way you'd come alone. I had a pretty good feeling that Jasper would come with you as well. Being as all the others are married…you two would naturally be paired together."

Looking over at Maria, I didn't know how much more I could take. I wanted nothing than to tear her to bits and burn them so that I would never have to see her face again. She was doing and saying all this on purpose and she knew she was getting underneath my skin.

I wondered if this is what Jasper had to deal with all those years.

"You're a poor excuse for a woman." I spat at her "feeding off the weaknesses of others…using them to your advantage." I approached her again. But, one again, I was stopped. This time by Michael. God, what was with everyone and defending her!

"Move" I pushed against him but as always, he was still stronger and grabbed my hand, halting any further movement.

"You thought you could escape me Elizabeth? When you live forever, all you have is time. And, I knew it was a matter of time before I found you again. And you look just as beautiful as the last time I saw you." He came closer to me, running a cold finger alongside my face.

"Why are you here?"

"Like the beautiful Maria said, I've also come back for what is mine." He leaned down and whispered the last word in my ear and I shivered with disgust.

"I never belonged to you…and I never will."

"Is that so Elizabeth?" he took one more step closer to me "Have you forgotten already?"

"Forgotten what?" I looked up nervously.

"Let's not forget who gave you that masterpiece of a scar here…" he reached behind me, tracing his right hand along the scar on my back "And of course how could you forget about this one…" he pulled me closer, dropping his left hand to run it across the area where he had literally marked me as his.

"All mine." He pressed his lips against the side of my face and I leaned as far back as I could from him. His words were like poison and I didn't want any part of it.

"Elizabeth" he murmured against my cheek "I bet you taste just as delicious as last time…"

I tensed immediately at that statement. Everything with Michael had always been about him, never about me. He was selfish and ruthless.

"Let's go my love." He pulled me even closer to him, in what he must've thought was some seductive gesture. It was anything but.

Before I could respond to him, I heard three _very _possessive growls come from around the room.

Michael's had come out of his pure lust towards me and Edward's had probably come since I was Lilly's mother and he was doing out of some odd, protective manner.

But then there was the third growl. I let my eyes slightly glance over at Jasper who was still standing beside Maria, her arm still looped through his arm. But, his stance was tense, his eyes burning. What struck me the most however was the massive wave of jealously that washed over me as I stood there. So strong that I couldn't help but let a gasp escape my lips.

And it didn't go unnoticed.

"Well, well…does my little Elizabeth have a new lover?" Michael looked over at Jasper, giving him a once over "I can see why you are drawn to him. He _is _damaged and scarred. Maria told me all about his story as we traveled looking for you two. Oh but my beautiful Elizabeth, he could never give you what you need. I'm all the man you will _ever _need." And for added effect, he gripped me tighter, pulling me up against his body.

I needed to get away from him. So, I did the only thing I knew would work. I looked up at him hesitantly, giving him a small smile. Something he'd always appreciated about me, my innocence. I reached up and wrapped one of my hands around his neck and brought him down closer to me. I had to ward off the feelings of jealousy that kept getting stronger as I came closer to his lips.

In such typical Michael fashion, he enjoyed every moment of this. He was so caught up that he barely even noticed me turning his head to the side so that his neck was facing me. And that's when I took my chance. I grabbed him and bit him as hard as I could, causing him to hiss loudly and push me off of him.

"Oh, not very smart at all Elizabeth." He rubbed the side of his neck, making sure there was nothing missing. "You know what happened last time you tried to attack me." He grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Do I _really _need to give you yet another scar to add to your collection Elizabeth…." He brought my hand up to his mouth and all I could do was watch and moan in discomfort. I hated this.

He had gained the upper hand once again. He was pulling me under once more and I needed to get away. I needed to get my baby out of here.

"Let me go Michael." I tried to shake off his grasp but he wasn't having it.

So, I did the only thing I could. The one thing that would guarantee my daughter's safety.

_Edward, take Lilly and go back home. Please…just get her out of here! _My thoughts pleaded with him. As much as I hated him for taking Lilly, he was her only hope right now. If he could do just this one good thing, I would be forever grateful.

I saw him nod slightly as he began inching towards the back door, Lilly tightly in his arms. When he almost reached the back door, he suddenly stopped.

"Edward" Maria's voice called him. Her voice was sweet and seductive "Bring the child here." He smiled.

I watched in complete horror as he crossed the room, and went to the hand the child to her.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled at him, trying to get to my daughter but Michael still had a death grip on me. "No, no please don't hurt my daughter! Edward what the hell were you thinking!" I yelled at him some more after he came back over where I was. I watched as something flashed over his eyes as well and he looked over at me, a confused look on his face.

"What's going on here?" I looked at them all.

"Nothing to worry your pretty little head about Elizabeth." Maria laughed lightly. She looked at Michael, who nodded at something.

"Let's make a deal shall we? We will allow your daughter to live if…." I watched as a sly smile crossed across Maria's face as her grip tightened around my daughter "If Jasper leaves with me." She stood there and waited, eying Jasper and I. And I suddenly had the feeling that we were being tested.

"Maria…" Jasper warned her but with one look, he shut up almost instantly.

I knew at that moment that I would probably die fighting for my daughter….because I knew there was no way Jasper would ever go back to Maria. The choice had been made and I knew what I needed to do.

"I'll go with Maria." Jasper looked at Maria "Give her the child." He demanded.

"Was that an order Jasper?" she eyed him.

"Let's take her with us…" he spoke again, his voice once again emotionless. "She is very beautiful." He wrapped an arm around Maria and Lilly, and I bit back the growl that had formed in the back of my throat.

I couldn't believe that this was happening. Surely this was trick. Jasper would never say these things and truly mean them right? He may have conflicted feelings towards me but, he would never take my daughter away from me…leaving her in the arms of that conniving woman.

"Let's go shall we?" she smiled innocently at me "It was a pleasure Michael, it looks like we both got what we wanted." And with those words, she, Jasper and Lilly all headed towards the door.

My knees gave out as I nearly fell to the ground but Michael wouldn't let me go anywhere.

She was taking my daughter. My precious little angel. Not only that, she was taking Jasper with her. She was leaving me with nothing.

Right before they exited the house, thoughts floated into my head quickly and my head snapped up.

_Stop her Elizabeth; you're the only one who can do it. If you don't, she will kill Lilly. Do not underestimate her….do it now! _

"Come on Elizabeth, it was for the best." Michael gripped my hand and pulled me towards the other door. One look at him and that's when my plan went into action.

I only had one shot. One chance to save my baby. And either I was going to succeed or die trying.

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**So, what in God's name were Jasper and Edward thinking?? Sigh. **

**Reviews=LOVE and a small preview.  
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	20. In Pieces

**A/N: As always, thanks so much for the amazing reviews! And a big thanks to both Calliope Jones & LynZann for letting me bug them about this chapter!! Their input was MUCH appreciated. And also, I want to give a shout to my room mate because she graduated last night and I'm so proud of her!! Well, anyways, Enjoy!!!  
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****Chapter 20: In Pieces**

I let Michael take my hand and lead me towards the back door. I wanted him to think that I had given in to him once again. As we got closer, we passed Edward.

Edward.

He was my only hope at this point. I had no other choice but to ask him to help me.

I didn't let my gaze meet his. But, I sure as hell got the message across through my thoughts.

_Help me Edward. If you don't, then our daughter will die. And it'll be on your head. You got her into this, now you're going to help me get her out of here alive and safe. Don't answer; just help me get rid of Michael. I can't focus on Maria with him lurking around. _

I could see and hear him processing what I had just told him. And right before we could walk out the door, I felt it. I felt Michael literally being pulled away me forcefully and landing with a loud crash on the ground. I could hear the two men struggling but I didn't have time to look. My daughter was depending on me. As soon as I was free of his grasp, I ran.

But apparently, I wasn't fast enough. Even for a vampire. In a low blow, Michael stuck his leg out further from his spot on the floor, tripping me so I fell right beside him. I tried to get up quickly but he grabbed me with his free arm.

"If I'm going down, you're coming with me beautiful."

"I told you I was never going with you anywhere again…" I looked up at Edward who was in the process of ripping one of his legs off. Michael didn't even seem to notice. Almost like he had been expecting this all along.

I didn't really know what to do in this situation. I never thought I would have to destroy another vampire. But, primal instincts must've kicked in because I grabbed his arm and bit into it as hard as I could before tearing it off of him.

The sound was horrible but the satisfaction was immense. After all the time that he had hurt me, he was getting his now. And it felt amazing.

"Go Elizabeth!" Edward yelled at me but I couldn't move. I was still fixated on the fact that I was winning. With help yes but, I was still beating him down and I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop.

"Just one more!" I hissed at him. He just nodded as I focused my attention on his other arm. Grabbing it in my hands, I started at the top and just sank my teeth into it. But, that wasn't all I did. I was about to give him a taste of his own medicine, if only for a moment.

I dragged my teeth down the entire length of his arm. I could hear him hiss and scream in pain and anger but I didn't flinch. And when I finally reached the bottom, I effortlessly tore it off, tossing it aside like a piece of garbage.

"I hope that wherever it is you're going…" I stood and grabbed his face in my hand, squeezing it tightly "I hope you pay dearly for all the hell you put me through." I dug my fingers into his skin, causing him to squirm in agony as I pressed as deep as I could, the sound of stone breaking stone.

"Goodbye my precious Elizabeth." Even in tremendous agony, he still managed to smile at me, a hint of lust still twinkling in his eyes. It was disgusting but undeniably Michael at the same time. "I will forever remember you in this moment. So evil, so beautiful."

I shoved his face away from me, never wanting to see this man ever again.

And with that, I left him in the hands of Edward knowing that he would be able to finish the rest of the job without my help. I had said and done all that I needed to say to Michael. It was all over. He was never coming back to hurt me or my daughter again.

I turned and headed out the front door, the sounds of the rest of Michael's body being torn to shreds by Edward barely even registering in my brain as I focused my attention on finding Lilly.

They were no longer outside but, I knew they couldn't be far. I paused and tried to pin point which way they had gone, searching for Lilly's scent. I found it almost instantly and soon I was heading north. I found them after a few moments. They weren't moving very fast. So, I knew they must've been expecting me to come look for them.

"What took you so long Elizabeth?" Maria called me before I even stood before them.

"I had some business to take care of." I came out from where I was, standing before the three of them. Lilly was still in Maria's arms, looking pretty content. She didn't look afraid at all. Which, at the moment, was a good thing. I don't think I could've concentrated knowing that my baby was scared of the woman who was holding her. I saw her stealing glances at Jasper, smiling when she did. My daughter really had a soft spot for that man.

"Ah, yes. Well, I guess congratulations are in order? I didn't think you'd be able to do it." She looked up and saw the dark smoke that was beginning to fill the sky.

"You don't know anything about me."

"I wouldn't go that far. Let's not forget, I know your weakness." She leaned in and placed a cold kiss on Lilly's cheek. My daughter only smiled briefly at the show of fake affection.

"Give me my daughter." I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible.

"Like hell I will." She spat at me. "Come and get her." She challenged.

She was dangling my _own_ daughter in front of my face. Like some sort of twisted game and she was getting a kick out of seeing me struggle.

I had to be careful about this. One wrong move and she could very well kill my daughter. My eyes drifted over to Jasper. He was just standing there, no more than five feet away from Maria and Lilly. Why couldn't he just grab her and run? It was so easy and yet, there was something off about the way he was standing there.

I took two steps towards her, Jasper took three forward. For each one I took, he came closer to me until we were inches apart.

"I want my daughter." I looked at him. Whatever was going through his mind didn't even matter anymore. My daughter came first and foremost.

His eyes softened before they turned black and they narrowed at me.

"She's coming with us Elizabeth…there's nothing you can do about it."

I watched his eyes for a few moments. And then, it hit me.

"Nothing I can do about it?" I repeated his last statement. _Oh, we'll see about that_

I take a few moments to look at Jasper and then back at Maria. He still hadn't backed away from me and since we were so close, I could see that his muscles were tense, strained.

And that's when images floated into my mind. Of Jasper _defending _Maria, telling me not to come near her. It didn't make sense. He hated her. Hell, he tried to attack me because he thought I was her! And then there was Edward. He may be conniving but, he would _never _just hand our child off to some woman. Especially a woman who he knows is dangerous.

Maria had some sort of ability. An ability that allowed her to control the minds and actions of others. But, it seemed as though it only worked on men. Well, that would make sense!

Oh, god. That was it! She could control the thoughts of men.

Well, two can play this game. Maria may think she knows about me but she has no idea who she's messing with.

"Jasper doesn't want to come back to you Maria." I stepped around him so I could see her. She lifted her perfectly arched eyebrow a fraction and laughed.

"Is that so? And just what exactly makes you think he wants _you?" _She's looked me up and down, taking me in.

"Why don't you ask him?" I turned my attention back to Jasper "Tell her Jasper. Tell her how much you wanted me last night. Tell her how _good _I make you feel." I took a few steps closer to him, laying my palm flat against his chest "Tell her, _mi amor_." I used one of my few Spanish phrases I knew, in hopes that I could get the point across.

His eyes narrowed at me, staring at me like I had completely lost my mind. But, as he was watching at me, I tried to get into his head, trying to manipulate his thoughts so that he would agree with me. I just needed her to think there was something between us.

He turned towards Maria, a look of hatred in his eyes. The real hated I knew he felt towards her.

"She makes me feel things that you could _never _make me feel Maria. And she does things that most men only dream of." And the way he said it, he actually sounded like he was telling the truth. Oh, how I wish he was.

I watched as Maria's eyes widened in shock. She was buying right into this. She had no idea that I had just used her own power against her. Her eyes, already burning with rage, burned even more when I took my hand and slid it up to touch his cheek gently. I stood a bit taller and pressed a chaste kiss against his cheek, knowing that's all I could get away with. Because let's face it, I could manipulate him all I wanted but he probably would never kiss me in the way I wanted him to.

"So what's it going to be Maria?" I let go of Jasper and glared at her.

I could see her plan falling apart in front of her eyes. She was so sure that she could use her power to just lure Jasper right back into her arms again. Well, she had another thing coming. Because, regardless of how much he says there's nothing between us, he cannot deny the chemistry. And for me, there is _something _there.

My feelings run so deep for this man that and I wanted to make sure that she would never, ever touch him again.

"I guess there's only one thing left for me to do then." I saw her take a few steps back, as she lifted one of her hands to place it on Lilly's cheek. Lilly didn't flinch; She just stared at her with curious eyes.

"Don't hurt me." My baby spoke. Three little words and suddenly a plan formed in my head. As Maria stared at her in confusion, I turned my attention towards Jasper, convincing him that Maria was about to hurt Lilly and that he was the only one who can save her. Without even blinking, I see him literally lunging at Maria, knocking her flat on her back.

I shut my eyes briefly, afraid to see if my daughter has been hurt in anyway. But, when I open them, I saw her standing there, cool as cucumber with a bemused look on her face.

"I want to play." Lilly looked over at me and smiles. Oh god my daughter thinks Jasper and Maria are playing a game. I don't know whether to be relieved or distraught. Either way, I walked as quickly as I could to her.

"Don't move sweetie." She nodded and I went to where Jasper was. Still on the ground, holding down Maria, and not saying anything.

"Move Jasper." I touched his shoulder and he flinched "Lilly needs you." I said to him and he looked up at me and then over to Lilly. I didn't have to use any type of power on him because he quickly got up, grabbed Lilly in his arms and moved her away, asking her if she wants to hear a story.

Maria quickly got up and I felt her grabbing my hair tightly trying to pull me down.

"How did you do it!" she hissed, gripping my hair tighter.

"You're not the only with power Maria." I twisted around and out of her grasp. She tried to strike me but I caught her hand, shoved it down and brought my own hand to come in contact with her face, wiping that little smug look right off of her face.

She stumbled back for a moment but she was strong. Years of fighting had made this woman be skilled and strong.

"Jasper…" she took a deep, unneeded breath "Is _mine._" She hissed at me, trying to lunge at me. But, I met her halfway, and the two of us went tumbling down to the ground. I somehow pinned her to the ground, my knee pressed against her throat.

"No bitch" I pressed harder down on her throat "He'll never be yours again."

"What would he possibly want with someone like you?" She spit at me through her labored breathing.

I was taken back a bit by her question. I really have no idea what Jasper would want with someone like me. But, I sure as hell know I'd be so much better for him that Maria ever was.

"You broke him" my former strong voice cracked a bit "You destroyed him, made him believe his was this cold, heartless monster so he would never leave you, using him for your own selfish pleasure. But I swear to god, you're never getting your hands on him again."

She didn't respond with words at first. She merely laughed. A laugh that was muffled by her choking.

"_Ay, no es posible." _She laughed more "You…you love him don't you?" she looked at me knowingly. I didn't answer her though. She already knows. My words would mean nothing at this point.

"Jasper needs someone tough, ruthless. A woman who can give him what he needs. And you Elizabeth, are none of those things."

"I can give him what you could never, ever give him." I fist one of my hands in that long black hair of hers and drop the other to hold down her shoulder "I can give him a second chance at something great. A life where he doesn't ever have to worry about you again."

And then, in one simultaneous movement, I pushed down her shoulder and yanked my hand towards the right, creating a loud cracking sound that echoes all around me. I kept pulling until I heard something snap and shatter. And that's when I know I had done it. Looking down, I saw head lying away from her body. But, I knew I couldn't stop there. I had to get rid of all her to ensure she would never come back again.

Not even thinking, I once again let the primal instincts take over me as I ripped that woman to shreds, one limb at a time. I knew Jasper had taken Lilly somewhere away from here so she didn't have to see this. The fire that has by now turned Michael into ashes wasn't that far away from me.

It took me two trips to that growing fire Edward has built. Two trips to deliver Maria to her fate. The fate she deserved all along. As I toss in the final piece of her, I couldn't help but let a smile creep across my face.

I did it.

Not only did I help destroy Michael but, I destroyed Maria.

The woman who destroyed Jasper sealed her own fate the moment she laid her hands on my daughter. Sealed her fate the moment she started toying with Jasper again, trying to take him back to where he started. And there was no way I was going to let that happen. He deserved better than her. He deserved a chance at being free.

I knew deep down that I wanted his second chance to include me but, I was tired of fighting him. If he didn't want me, then I was just going to have to deal with it. It wouldn't be easy and it wasn't something I would accept lightly but, what more could I do?

Those final thoughts hit me harder than I thought and I was standing in front of the fire, I dropped to my knees, burying my head in my hands. At this one moment, I wanted desperately to be able to cry. To be able to express some sort of emotion other than anger and rage.

As I let everything catch up with me, I felt a light touch on my arm. I looked up and saw Lilly standing in front of me, a worried look on her face.

"Don't be sad mommy. It's okay." She placed her hand on my cheek, trying to comfort me in her own little way. I grabbed her hand and held it against my cheek and closed my eyes.

My baby was safe.

"I know sweetie. Mommy's just so happy that you're okay." I pulled her against me tightly and just held her for what seemed like forever, neither of us really paying attention to the fire that was ten feet in front of us.

I don't know how long we had been in the same position when I heard a loud crash coming from the back of the house. Both Lilly and I looked over towards where the noise had come from. And that's when Jasper's voice floated into my head from earlier.

'_If I find him, I will in no way spare his life.'_

"Oh." I covered my mouth and quickly picked up Lilly in my arms, taking her back inside the tiny house, setting her down on the couch that had somehow survived.

"Lilly, I need you stay right here and not go anywhere. Can you do that for me baby?" I kneeled in front of her, looking straight into her beautiful little eyes.

"Okay mommy. I promise." She nodded, touching my cheek again, assuring me she'd stay put.

Gathering what little courage I had left, I made my way towards the back of the house, almost afraid to see what was going on. If Jasper was already attacking Edward, there'd be no way to stop him. I'd never be able to do it.

But, the second I stepped outside, all those feelings went away.

Edward was on the ground, Jasper practically shutting off all his unneeded air supply by stepping on his throat. If this wasn't serious, I would've laughed. I don't know what came over me. But, seeing Edward on the ground, not putting up much of a fight and Jasper standing there, nothing but pure hatred in his eyes, I knew I needed to stop this. Why? I really had no idea. And I'm sure I was going to suffer greatly for what I was about to do.

"Jasper…" I approached him with caution. The last thing I needed was him turning and lashing out on me. "Jasper, please." I touched his arm gently, not that surprised to find his muscles so tense.

"What?" he didn't move his gaze off of Edward "I told you Elizabeth…I told you…" he repeated.

"I know what you said. But, you can't do this. Please, for me?" Why I said that was beyond me. What did my wants mean to him?

"Why not? He deserves it." He pressed harder down on his throat. "He deserves to be ripped to pieces so he can rot in hell with those other lowlifes." He nodded his head towards the fire that had begun to die down already.

"No!" I gripped his arm tighter. "Please don't do this Jasper. Can't you see that Edward helped me today? If he hadn't, my daughter could've died. Does that not matter to you?"

"It was his fault to begin with."

"I know." That part I couldn't deny. "But, please….don't kill him. You know that if this was the other way around, I would be trying to save your life too." That part was completely true. I would do whatever I could for Jasper.

I was thinking of something else to say when I heard him mutter something under his breath before moving away from Edward, walking away from me, an angry expression on his face.

"Elizabeth I…" I turned and glared at Edward with narrowed eyes.

"No. I don't want to hear it." I walked away from him. I had no desire to hear anything from Edward. The only words I needed to hear right now belonged to another man.

I had to literally run in order to catch up with Jasper. I felt like some school aged girl chasing after a boy who had just rejected her on the playground.

"Will you stop walking away from me!" I yelled at him, fed up with chasing him. He stopped as soon as the words left my mouth but he didn't turn to face me. Exasperated, I walked so that I was standing right in front of him. "Jasper, I…"

"Save it Elizabeth…." He held up his hand, ceasing all my talking "If you even so much think of saying that you're sorry, I don't want to hear it. I don't want your apologies. I don't want your gratitude. I don't want _anything _from you. Because you're sure as hell not getting any of that from me."

"I don't understand." I tried to reach out and touch him but he moved away from me.

"You're words mean nothing to me Elizabeth. They're useless. You're…."

"Don't you even dare!" I cut him off. "You're lying to me. You're trying to hurt me. I won't let you do it."

"Believe what you want to. This discussion is over and we have to get back home." And with that, he turned and walked away back towards the house. I stood, dumbfounded as always and just watched him walk away.

I had just killed the woman who destroyed him and yet, he was still treating me as if I was nothing. Not that I had killed her in hopes that he would come running straight to me. I just wanted him to be free. And apparently, being free still didn't include me.

As I slowly followed behind him to get my daughter so we could head back home, I began wondering if anything I ever did would be enough for him?

Would _I _ever be good enough for him?

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**Oh man!!! I'm really eager to see what you guys thought! Most of you were pretty close with Maria's power. **

**And yes, Jasper was being a MAJOR jerk there at the end. But, what did you expect? Things happen for a reason.  
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**Reviews=LOVE (And trust me, you're going to want it!! I think so at least)  
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	21. Hot and Cold

**A/N: Thanks so much for the amazing reviews last chapter! You guys really are the best. Again, a MAJOR thanks to LynZann...because she helped me big time with this chapter! I really, really hope you guys enjoy it!**

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****Chapter 21: Hot and Cold**

There was an airport nearby. When we got there, we already had tickets waiting for the four us to take a flight back home. Edward sat no where near us on the plane thankfully. But, it didn't really make things any easier.

The flight back home was filled with so much tension. I knew that Jasper was angry at me, I could read it all over his face. It didn't help that I was sitting right beside him the entire time. He didn't talk to me, not a single word. I could feel his obvious frustration just flying off of him. And to make matters worse, I knew exactly why.

To him, it was like I had broken some sort of promise to him. I had told him that we would do anything to get my daughter back, even if it meant killing Edward. But apparently to Jasper, he just wanted to kill him in general. I just couldn't let him do it. As deep as my anger and hatred may run for him, the truth is that without him, my daughter may have ended up dead.

Why Jasper didn't see that was beyond me.

When we returned back home, only Carlisle, Esme and Bella were at the house. While they all flocked to Lilly and I, I watched from the corner of my eye as Jasper just stomped off upstairs and I heard his door slam shut.

After a few minutes of sitting there, I couldn't take it anymore. I hated being ignored. But more than that, I hated not knowing things. All this time he had demanded I tell him anything and everything. And for once, HE was going to tell me what the hell was going on.

I left Lilly in the arms of Esme, knowing no harm would come to while with her and made my way up the stairs. The door was unlocked so I just walked right in. He wasn't in there though. And that's when I heard the water running in the bathroom. I for a split second thought about coming back when he was done but, to hell with that…I wanted answers and I didn't care what he was doing. He was going to give them to me.

I flung open the door, not bothering to knock and walked inside. I saw him leaning over the counter, his hands gripping the edge with his head lowered slightly. He was shirtless and I knew that I should've been shell shocked at the vision in front of me but, there was something else that was drawing me closer to him. With each step I took towards him, I felt my anger slowly melt away for the moment.

When I was close enough, I reached my hand out, letting my fingertips graze lightly over one of the scars he had. One of hundreds I'm sure. He tensed immediately at my touch and he turned his head slightly towards me, glaring at me with pith black eyes.

"What?" his voice was hard, cold as he shook my hand off of him.

"You…" I swallowed nervously, trying to look at only his face "You owe me some answers." I felt my confidence coming back a tiny bit.

"I don't owe you anything."

"No, you're always telling me that…but it's not going to fly this time Jasper. I need to know why you're treating me like this again. After all that just happened."

"Fine. You really want to know?" he turned around completely so that he was facing me. I didn't dare look down. I knew what was there and right now, I couldn't be distracted by the scars that undoubtedly adorned his body. "I wanted nothing more than to just kill Edward….god you have no idea! Just thinking about…he would've deserved it Elizabeth and you damn well know it!"

"How could I let you kill him? Without his help, Lilly might be dead right now. You may not understand the meaning of unconditional love but, I for one wasn't about to let the man who helped save my daughter be ripped to shreds."

"I don't understand?" his voice grew angrier "No Elizabeth, what I don't understand is how you let that idiot brother of mine screw your life up twice now….and yet, you still let him live. I told you, I wasn't going to let him destroy you again…and yet, here we stand with Edward very much alive downstairs."

"If it bothers you so much, then why didn't you just do it then? What stopped you….huh tough guy?" I pushed against his shoulder as hard as I could. He took the opportunity to grab my wrist in his hand and bring me closer to him.

"The only reason I didn't kill the bastard" he pulled me even closer, "Is because _you _asked me not to."

"Since when does what I ask you stop you from doing anything!" I was getting fed up with all this back and forth. It never got us anywhere.

"Oh little girl…" he hissed in my ear "you know exactly why…you know just the type of effect you have on me."

With that one little statement, I was rendered completely speechless. I glared at him for a few seconds, trying to push all the feelings of desire and lust to the back of my mind as I tried to figure out what he meant by that statement. Well, I knew what he _meant_ by it. I knew I effected him. But, the way he said, it was like he wasn't too happy about it. Almost like he _hated _the fact that I got under his skin.

But, I couldn't really concentrate on the actual statement. Because let's face it, I was utterly floored by the way he had just spoken to me. Though malicious, it was extremely sensual the way he did it.

Before I knew it, I was being pushed out of the bathroom with the door being slammed in my face. I looked at the door, feeling like a complete idiot. Once again, he had gained the upper hand and thought he could just dismiss me like that. Well, he had another thing coming if he thought he had won and that this fight was over.

Taking a deep breath, I opened that damn door again, not too surprised that it wasn't locked. I was surprised however that he was already in the shower, trying to ignore me probably.

"I'm _not_ a little girl...and if you think that I'm just going to let you win…." and before I could finish, I was cut off by the shower curtain flying open. Before I even had time to think, Jasper had grabbed my hand, and pulled me, fully clothed, into the shower with him.

"Why can't you _ever _just leave me alone?" He growled against my ear, sending waves of pleasure and fear all throughout my system.

I didn't even have time to think about what I had come in here for the moment I felt myself coming in contact with the shower wall behind me and almost frantically, he was pressing himself against me, devouring my lips with his. I couldn't even bring myself to call him out on his complete one eighty reaction towards me.

One minute was pushing me out the door away from him. The next, he was pulling me _in _to be with him.

We both knew what this was. Months of pent up anger, frustration, and obvious sexual tension had finally caused something inside of his head to snap completely.

But, this was what I had wanted, his attention, him to show that he did care for me, that I did make him feel something, and he was finally doing it. Maybe not in the exact way I had thought of, but I had to take what was given. At least, I hope that's the message he was trying to get across.

I placed my hands on the back of his head, entwining my fingers in his hair, gripping onto it, so as to hold his lips to mine. He eventually broke the kiss, grabbing my shirt in his hands. Instead of taking the time to unbutton it, he just ripped it open, yanking it down my arms with one swift movement. I mumbled something probably incoherent to him but he didn't even notice. He was otherwise occupied.

He did take the time however to unhook my bra, throwing it behind him somewhere. Soon, he was eye level with my chest and I could feel him placing kisses and soft bites all around them. The sensation was overwhelming. It was like he was, for however temporary, marking me as his. And I welcomed it. I wanted more of it. I wanted to be his, in every way and form.

As he kissed down my stomach, he undid my jeans, and thrust them down my legs along with my underwear. I stepped out of them, and kicked them carelessly to the side. At least now we were both on the same level. I grabbed his chin, bringing his face back up to mine.

"I'm yours, take me." I whispered and with those four words, I could see a change in his demeanor. It might not have been noticeable to anyone else, but I could see his wall crack just a little bit when I said it. He moved his face closer, our lips nearly touching. I could smell his breathe, so intoxicating, and it took everything I had to stay where I was, to not take his lips with the passion that was welling up inside of me.

He slowly worked his way down my body, making sure to kiss all the scars he could reach. It had to be one the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone had ever done. And the fact that it was _him _doing it, made it so much better.

He made his way back to my mouth, this time not being as rough, but still demanding.

I was ready, I knew where I wanted this to go and I was really hoping he did to.

"Take me,_ now_…" I demanded.

"You're so impatient Elizabeth…" he smirked "You know, once we do this, there's no going back." The smirk left his face but he was still serious.

I should've been angry by that statement. He chose _now _to get all moral on me? But, I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"There's never been anything to go back to. _Please_?" I nearly pleaded.

With that one word, he threw all caution to the wind, lifted me up effortlessly and entered me. I wrapped my legs around him, enjoying the feeling of him finally inside me. He didn't move at first, and then he spoke.

"Elizabeth, I take it back. You are anything _but_ a little girl." His voice was strained as he spoke. I just gave him a knowing look. It was all I was capable at that very moment.

With that, he started moving me up and down, placing kisses on my chest and face. And when I threw my head back against the wall, he continued his assault and my now exposed neck. This was the epitome of feeling good. Being with Jasper was like nothing I had ever experienced. There were feelings with him that I never knew existed; there was a want that came from so deep inside me. I could feel it inside of me, burning, ready to be released.

I could tell that I wasn't the only one who was enjoying this. I kept my eyes locked on his for as long as possible. They were black, full of desire. I let a small smile form on my lips as I heard some of his last words to Maria.

"S_he makes me feel things that you could __never __make me feel Maria. And she does things that most men only dream of."_

I may have played with his thoughts a bit but maybe, just maybe, there was a small part that had actually believed it.

All of the sudden he unwrapped my legs, turning me around, making me face away from him. I was lucky I didn't slam my face against the wall he did it so quickly. I knew what was coming before it even happened. I should've protested; Told him to stop being so dominant. But, at the moment, I couldn't form any words. And I knew that deep down, he wasn't just doing this for him. At least, I hoped so. He _wanted _to me feel good right?

He entered me from the back, nearly forcing me to arch my back towards him. I felt him moving, and the fire inside of me couldn't wait. I let loose, nearly screaming out my moans. I felt Jasper grab my shoulder, and with a satisfied smirk, he pressed into me one last time. He pushed until he was completely done and finally released my shoulder, letting his hand travel down the length the scar on my back. I couldn't help but shiver against his touch.

He pulled out, stepping back into the water. I stood there resting my forehead on the wall, not really sure what to do next, when he grabbed my hand, gently this time and turned me around to face him.

"Let me help you." He brought me closer to that two of us were completely under the warm water. I wanted to stop him, and just tell him that I wanted to keep his scent all over me. But, I figured that would seem pathetic and I wasn't about to seem weak in front of him.

I remained silent as he helped me. Truthfully, I was too afraid to say something to him. This moment was so perfect and I didn't want to run the risk of saying something stupid or have him blow it out of proportion.

After our shower, we both got dressed in quiet. And since all my clothes were sopping wet in the shower, the only thing being salvaged being my bra, the only option I had was the towel that Jasper had given me. It didn't really cover much but, it was all I had.

Neither one of us knew what to say. I figured it would be best if we addressed it before we faced the family.

"So," we both said at the same time.

"You first." We did it again.

"Elizabeth, please, let me speak first, ok?" Jasper asked, sitting down in one of the chairs in the room.

I shook my head yes, and sat on the bed.

"I know your probably thinking that this makes everything better and we're going to live happily ever after, but I still mean all the things I said." I felt my heart drop at those words. But, I didn't show it. "I don't know that I can be what you are hoping I can. I don't know if I have it in me to even try. I want you to know that, no matter what, that wasn't just sex to me. I do care about you, I just don't know if it can ever be more than that." he said, looking me dead in the eyes, making sure that I understood what he was saying.

And I did. I understood, but that didn't mean I was going to accept it. I wanted this man; I wanted him to be whatever he could for me. Of course, if I got to choose, got to make his decision, he would be with me forever. He would give us a try. And that's all I could really ask for, that he try.

"Jasper, I know that this is all hard for you. I really do. But I need you to understand. I am not asking you to change; I'm not asking you to pretend. I just want you to try. Give me a chance, give us a chance. You could end up being happier than you ever remember. I know you've been hurt, broken down by people before. But I promise you, I will _never _do that you. I will never use you. But I can't do this alone. You just have to try. That's all I'm asking for. Because, I think, no, I _know_ that I love you Jasper." I said, knowing that if I could cry, I would be.

I ran that little speech through my mind and realized that I just openly admitted my love for him. Though I'm pretty sure he already knew how I felt. My only hope was that he wasn't about to call me crazy and say that he could never love me. I'm not sure I could handle that. Not for fear of being rejected but because I don't know if I could lead a life without him in it.

After everything that had just happened between us, all I was asking was for him not to shut me out.

I could see Jasper was having an internal battle with himself. Trying to decide if he should allow himself to try or to just stop all this right now.

I just sat there on his bed, waiting. Waiting to see if he was about to completely shatter my heart or if he was actually going to give us a chance…

I was about to get up, fed up with his silence when I noticed his hands moving slightly on the chair that he was gripping tightly.

Not a moment later, he stood up and walked over to stand right in front of me.

And then, with a smirk on his face he simply said, "I know."

I stared up at him is disbelief.

"What!" I stood up off the bed quickly "Can you really be _that _heartless Jasper!? I just told you that I _love you _and all you can say is 'I know'!"

He didn't say anything; he just reached over and gripped my upper arms.

"Let me go!" I tried to shake out of his grasp but he didn't budge. In my irrational fit, and all my moving around, the towel that I had securely around me was beginning to loosen a bit.

"Will you stop moving for five seconds?" his grip tightened even more "You ending up naked isn't going to help my situation whatsoever."

"Your situation? Is that all I am to you now? You've had me on this string for months now. And what? Now that we've slept together, you think you can just toss me aside and forget all about me? Well let me tell you…" I pushed against him "You have another thing coming if you think I'm going to leave that easily."

"Are you done?"

"Oh, I'm far from being done! You keep pushing and pushing me and I've had enough of it! I know that some pretty bad stuff happened to you in the past but, you have to move on Jasper! I know, I know. What do I know about moving on? I'm just the girl with scars right? But can't you see…I _understand!_ I know what it's like to have been hurt, taken advantage of as if you were nothing. I…we could be so good together. You can't tell me you haven't thought about it either! Because I know you can feel the obvious chemistry the two of us have. You just said that what happened wasn't just sex and then you turn around and say that you can never be anything to me. And I refuse to believe that! I know you want me Jasper. And not just for physical needs either…it goes so much deeper than that. You want me as much as I need you. Why can't you see that! What can't you just….accept what's happening here? Because I can push all I want but, if you won't give me the chance, how in god's name will we ever know? How will we ever know if you and I were meant to be?" I dropped my hands to my sides, feeling both relieved and defeated.

His grip loosened on my arms and then slid them down so that he was holding onto my wrists, encircling them tightly, pretty much locking me in place. He just looked away from me. He was looking at anything but me.

"What? No witty comment? God, sometimes I really wish I could really get inside that head of yours….you're so…frustrating!" I glared him straight in the eyes, there was nowhere else for me to look.

"Elizabeth…" his voice was low, demanding "Can you shut up for a minute?"

I went to open my mouth, not about to stand for his rudeness but he continued talking.

"Shut up, because I need to say something. Something I've been wanting to get off my chest but with your incessant blabbing, I haven't been able to. Now, you've had your turn and now you're going to listen to what I have to say."

He dropped my wrists and I could see him looking past me. Whatever he was looking for, he must've found it because his focus was suddenly back on me.

I never knew what to expect when it came to this man so, I just stood there, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best…

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**Are any other words needed? Other than...finally?! She said those three little words! And, I really needed Liz to go off on Jasper there at the end. **

**Really anxious to hear your thoughts on this one. **

**Reviews=LOVE.  
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	22. My Unintended

**A/N: Your reviews for last chapter were, as always, amazing and I truly appreciate every single one of them. I have to say thanks again To my friend Lindsey for helping me again with this chapter and a big thanks to Meg, because she unknowingly inspired me when she told me about the song 'Unintended' by Muse (Which is a great song by the way!) Enjoy.**

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****Chapter 22: My Unintended**

"Fine." I crossed my arms over my chest "I'm listening." I tried to sound calm, brave but I was feeling anything but.

"I know how you feel about me Elizabeth" he began "I've known for awhile now. And I've been trying like hell to convince myself that you're completely crazy and that your feelings towards me are a result of a lapse of judgment or something."

"I assure you that…"

"No, Elizabeth let me talk…" he smirked "But, I finally allowed myself to see that your feelings for me are completely genuine. You truly do care about me. And for the life of me, I don't understand why. I'm obviously not the nicest person. Everything good that has ever crossed my path, I've destroyed. And I can't bear the thought of destroying you. With everything you've gone through, there's no chance in hell. I cannot break you, I refuse."

"Jasper, the only way you'd break me is if you keep pushing me away. And what you say, it's not the real you. There is some good somewhere, it's just been put away for a very long time that you've forgotten what it's like. But, I know it's there. I've seen glimpses of it every now and then. You're not as tough and heartless as you like people to think." I eyed him carefully. I had just called him out on his act and I had no idea how he was going to react.

'You're right." He sighed and I did a double take. Did he just, _agree _with me? "You're right about everything. No, well almost everything." He corrected himself, that arrogant smirk on his face.

"Are you intentionally trying to drive me insane? Because let me tell you, you're doing a pretty fantastic job right now."

"You're the one who keeps interrupting me." he shrugged "If you just would've kept quiet like I said, I would've been able to say this by now."

"What?" he had my attention now. My mind was reeling, my hope was rising. But, I couldn't get too excited. Until he said the words, he was still very capable of breaking my heart.

"I'm tired of pushing you away." He said quickly and if I didn't have extremely good hearing, I wouldn't have heard it. I didn't respond to him this time. I just stood there, waiting to see what he was going to do next.

In another shocker, he held out his hand to me and without hesitation, I took it, pressing my body to his, wanting to feel as much as him as possible.

I knew then that this is where I belonged.

"I don't have the strength to stay away from you anymore. So, even though this makes no sense to me what so ever" he took a deep, unneeded breath "I'm going to try Elizabeth. I'm going to try and give us a chance."

I stopped breathing as soon as the words left his mouth. I looked up at him hesitantly, as if I looked at him, there was going to be someone else other than Jasper standing there. When I finally did meet his gaze, he was looking straight back at me with those eyes of his. Though they were still dark, I could see that something had changed.

He was opening up to me. He was trying to trust me.

"Really?" I asked him and he just smirked at me. As if I should've known he was telling me the truth. I just wanted to make sure. I just needed to know that he was in this all the way.

"Elizabeth, there's something I need to tell you before…." He started but he stopped when there was a light knock on the door. I looked up at him, and then over towards the door.

"We might as well open it."

He wasn't very happy about it but, he reluctantly let me go and walked over to the door. He opened it less than half way and had a quick conversation with whoever was on the other side before closing it again. When he turned back around, I saw that he was holding something in his hands.

"Alice sent you these" he handed me a pile of clothes "And she said to not worry about Lilly. She'll keep watchful eye on her." He shook his head.

I stood there with the clothes in my hand for a few moments. What, did he just expect me to change right in front of him?

"Elizabeth, you can't honestly be embarrassed about getting dressed in front of me are you? Because I pretty much know what every inch of you looks like now."

"Oh, fine." I grabbed the towel and just tossed it off before putting on the shorts, underwear and t-shirt that Alice had given me. When I looked back at him though, the calm expression he had a moment ago was no gone and he was sitting on the bed, running a hand through his hair.

"What is it?" I asked him but kept a good distance between the two of us. He may have said that he was going to try but that didn't mean he wanted me latched on to his side every two seconds.

When he didn't answer me, I began to panic a bit. Maybe he had changed his mind? Maybe he had just said all those things without even thinking and now he was about to take it all back? As I stood there waiting for what seemed like forever, he finally looked up at me….

**JPOV**

"I never got the chance to…" I stopped when I looked up and saw her face. She looked completely petrified. Oh, Jesus. She thought I was going to take back all things I had just told her. That was the last thing on my mind.

"A chance to what?" she looked at me funny "Whatever you need to say Jasper, please just say it." Her voice was laced with anxiety.

"To officially apologize." The words finally came out "For everything."

I could feel her relax almost immediately. Though, she was still a bit confused as to what was going on.

I called her to come closer to me. One wave of my hand and she was standing in front of me within two seconds. I reached for one of her hands and pulled her closer to me.

"I don't understand, what is it that you need to apologize for?"

She wasn't serious was she? Everything that I've been putting her through these couple months was completely unfair to her.

"You know damn well what I need to apologize for. I've treated you like you were nothing. When all along, you were _everything._" God, what was with me! One look into those eyes and I suddenly can spew out all my innermost feelings.

"You don't have to apologize Jasper." She shook her head. This girl was so accepting it was ridiculous. "In your own way, you've already said you're sorry."

"Yes, well that may be true but, it wasn't an official apology."

"What would make it official?" she asked softly, but her eyes still flickered with confusion.

I had to think about it for a few seconds. I actually had no idea. So, I just had to make up something.

"This." And with one swift movement, I was on my feet, wrapping one arm around her waist while my other hand delved into her hair. And, before she had a chance to react, I gently brought her lips to mine. I completely caught her off guard because I could hear her gasp the moment my lips touched hers.

She must've been expecting something a bit more rough. Well, she should know me well enough by now to know that I'm such an unpredictable jerk.

Without second thought, I let every emotion I had bottled up towards her just flow freely between us. She felt it almost instantly and I felt her arms wind their way around my neck to pull me closer to her.

Everything about Elizabeth at this moment was so damn captivating. The way her hair felt in my fingers or the way her body was reacting to me touching her so gently. Every time we had been in this close proximity to one another, it had always been strained. Even earlier in the shower, it had been out of anger, frustration. All on my part of course. But, the moment she basically told me that she was mine, everything changed. And now, here we were.

I never wanted the feeling of her lips to leave mine. Now that I had tasted them, there was no turning back. But, I couldn't have her think that I had gone completely soft on her. So, much to both our dismay, I broke the kiss and the moment we lost the contact I heard a small whimper coming from her.

"Did you" I ran my thumb across her bottom lip "just whimper?" I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Shut up Jasper." She grabbed a fistful of my shirt "And just kiss me again damn it." She demanded but with a smile on her face. Without thought or hesitation, I gave the woman what she wanted, still letting all the passion and lust surround us.

And, as I felt her sigh against me, I knew that this is what she had wanted for so long. But, as I stood there and basked in every touch and sound, I knew she had officially won me over. So much for not going soft on her.

I felt her pushing me back, until I was back on the bed with her crawling on top of me.

"Again?" I asked her smugly. I must've really given her what she wanted if she was so eager to go at it again.

"No, I just want to return the favor." She whispered a bit timidly, looking up at me with hesitation. In a rather swift movement, she grabbed the shirt I was wearing and pulled it over my head.

"You know…" she trailed one of her fingertips up my chest "I didn't get to fully appreciate this earlier…"

And at the moment, I had no words. So, I just watched her. I thought she was talking about my looks, muscles or something but, the second I felt her lean down and place her lips on one the numerous scars, I knew I was wrong.

And I completely came undone with one little touch. And it didn't stop with just one. She literally kissed every single one she could reach.

"Liz…" I attempted to call her but she didn't stop. She just kept going. This sure didn't feel like she was returning any favor. It was more like torture. But, I welcomed this form of torture. As long as it was coming from her.

I couldn't see her face the entire time but, in the little glimpses of her eyes that I saw, they were completely black with desire. She was fully enjoying every second this.

My little angelic devil.

Though the lust that was coming off of her was the strongest emotion, I could also feel her love towards me.

But the one emotion I was so sure she would be feeling when she finally saw all my scars wasn't present at all.

Disgust.

I for sure thought she would be disgusted at the physical reminders of my past and the things that I had to do. But, I was beginning to see that maybe I was the one who was disgusted with myself. I had just been trying to convince myself that no one could ever care about me…the way that Elizabeth cares about me.

When I felt her lips touch one particular scar, one that was on my side, I instinctively tensed up. She immediately stopped and brought her face back up to mine.

"What's wrong?" she searched my eyes, trying to see what was going on. "Did I do something wrong?"

"It's nothing." I lied.

"Jasper" she frowned, getting off of me and sitting beside me "If we're going to make this work, you're going to have to trust me. You know you can tell me anything."

"Anything?" I asked skeptically. I was so used to keep all my thoughts and feelings to myself that the idea was actually foreign to me now.

"Anything." She grabbed my hands in hers and held them tightly.

"That scar, that one you just kissed…that's the only scar that I got from Maria." I said her name with such hatred. "Well, the only physical scar."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes back at the scar before just leaning over me and kissing it one more time. And dear God it felt so damn good. I never wanted her to stop.

"She'll never hurt you again Jasper." She whispered, resting her head on my chest, inhaling deeply. "Never."

I felt like laughing at her. It was pretty obvious that Maria was never going to hurt me again. But, the way she said it, almost as if she was promising to always trying to protect me caught me off guard. I was so used to having the upper hand when it came to everything and now it seemed as though she had the upper hand. And you know what? I just let her have it.

Because when it came down to it, Elizabeth, a woman who loves me deeply and unconditionally, killed the person who had destroyed me so many decades ago.

Elizabeth had killed…for _me._

"I know Liz, I know." I gently ran my fingers through her hair, hearing her sigh against me with the deepest feeling of contentment. "You know what else I know?" I let a hint of sarcasm drip in my voice when I felt the moment getting too soft again.

She lifted her head, a curious look on her face.

"What?"

I didn't answer her. I just grabbed her around the waist and flipped the two of us over so that I was looking down at her.

"I know that no one…" I ran my hand down her body, until it came to a rest on her thigh "will _ever _hurt you again Liz. I promise." I ran my fingers across her scar and I felt her breath hitch.

"I believe you." She nodded her head and I could feel that she had complete trust in me.

"Well good because we have other things to discuss right now" I snaked my hand around her and up the back of her shirt.

"Like?"

"Like the fact that I don't like this shirt you're wearing…it keeps blocking me from my destination." I pulled her closer to me.

"Well, are you going to do something about it tough guy?" she quirked an eyebrow at me.

It drove me crazy when she did that. She knew how much I hated being challenged and I had a feeling she was doing it on purpose.

And just to add fuel to the fire, she reached up and raked her fingernails up along my sides, emitting a deep growl to escape my lips.

"Oh, well now you're just playing with fire Liz." I gripped her shirt in my hands, fully prepared to rip this one off of her as well.

Another knock at the door however, prevented me from doing any of this.

"Go away…" I didn't tear my eyes away from her. When they knocked again and I rolled my eyes, Elizabeth just laughed at me.

"Later" she leaned up to kiss my lips gently. I tried to deepen it but she shoved against me lightly "I promise. Now go."

Getting up, I crossed the room to swing open the door to catch Alice standing there mid knock. When she took in my appearance, she just giggled.

"Oh come on Jasper…" she giggled some more "Put a shirt on, stop trying to grope Liz every five seconds and come downstairs. The entire family's here now and they're all waiting for you two to make an appearance." And with that, she walked away.

"Well, you heard the woman." Elizabeth was standing right behind me, handing me my shirt so I could put it back on. "They're waiting." She gave me a half smile. A smile that just made me want to things to her that shouldn't be said out loud.

"What do we tell them?" I asked, wanting to make sure that we were on the same page.

"Well, I think we should be honest. Let them know that were...dating? Does that sound ok?" she asked, looking at me hopefully.

"Dating?" I looked over at her. I wasn't really sure what we were doing was considered dating but, what other word was there for it? "Yeah I guess, if that's how you want to put it. That's fine." I said. I took my hand in hers lightly and the two of made our way downstairs.

**Elizabeth**

When we reached the living room, we were met with six pairs of curious eyes, one pair of overly happy eyes, and Edward. He just looked defeated. Like there was nothing he could do to stop this now. And I knew that he knew that if he ever tried anything like that with my daughter again, I wouldn't be so nice, and the whole family would be on my side.

"So, you two huh? About time." Emmett was the first one to say something. He got up, coming over to do the manly handshake, hug thing with Jasper. "Be careful with her." His voice tried to be authoritative but it wasn't working when he had a big goofy grin on his face.

"Yea, I know. I will." That was Jasper's response. Short and to the point but I knew he meant it.

He then pulled me into a big hug and joked in my ear, "I didn't know you had it in you Lizzie." He nudged me and I felt just the slightest bit embarrassed. But, it was clear that they could hear everything earlier. What was I going to do about it now?

"Mommy, will you read me from my book please?" Lily asked, pulling on the hem of my shirt. I smiled as I looked down at my baby. Not more than twelve hours ago, her life was in danger and she wasn't even aware of it. And now here she was, happy and safe.

She was standing there, the book from Jasper in her arms. It was always with her. She nearly had it memorized, but she still loved to be read to from it. I started to say yes, when I was interrupted.

"Miss Lily, how about I read to you? Would that be ok?" Jasper asked her, that amazing accent slipping through once again. Lily got a huge grin on her face, ecstatic that Jasper would be reading to her. He was her favorite. Lilly was the one person that Jasper had always been consistently sweet to. He never was mean or cold with her. He just treated her like the little girl she was.

He always made it the most fun, using different voices and making sound effects. He kneeled down, letting her wrap her arms around his neck. With her on his back, they made their way out onto the back porch, going to sit underneath one of the trees. I watched the two of them, with I'm sure a big smile on my face.

"Um, Elizabeth?" I heard someone clear their throat and I turned back around. I was met with Edward standing a few feet in front of me.

"Don't even start Edward." I sighed "I think you and I need to have a little chat about…everything." I eyed him. I really wish Jasper could be with me when I had this talk with him but, it was something I had to do on my own. Besides, Jasper probably wouldn't let Edward walk away alive this time, if he was going to start telling me what I thought he was.

"Alright." He nodded as the rest of the family dispersed, leaving the two of us alone in the living room.

It wasn't helping me though that all I could think about was Jasper. His hands, his lips…everything he said and did. It was all seared into my memory and I had no intention on forgetting.

"So…" he began, cutting off my Jasper fantasy with a frown on his face. I looked over at him, obviously caught.

I had no idea where this conversation was about to go.

"I don't want your apologies Edward." I cut him off again. "Because, we both know you screwed up and a part of me believes that you're truly sorry. And I know that without your help, Lilly might have died" I sighed "But, that doesn't excuse what you did. What you've been doing to me these past few years. Even during the time when you haven't been around me, you've haunted me Edward. You've haunted my thoughts, always wondering if you were going to pop into my life again and take my daughter. And look what happened? I may have showed up in _your _life but you still took my daughter from me! My daughter, the person who means the world to me. And knowing that something horrible could've happened to her….I…well, I don't know if I can ever forgive you for it."

"I understand Elizabeth, really I do."

"No, I don't think you have a clue Edward. If you knew even the fraction of what I went through those few days, you would've never taken her in the first place. We're her parents, not enemies. How can I trust you to ever be alone with her when I'm going to have this constant fear that you might take her again? I was getting to the point where I was beginning to feel actually comfortable leaving you two alone. But after that stunt you pulled, I'm not so sure. I don't want to hate you Edward but you're making it extremely difficult for not only me, but for the rest of your family. Did you even consider that? The effect it would have on Esme? She was devastated. What about your wife? She was completely helpless when she heard that you had left. You taking Lilly didn't just affect me, it effected everyone...and it'll probably take a long time for any of them to fully, if ever, trust you again. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Much like when I went off on Jasper, I again felt relieved that I had told Edward what exactly was on my mind "For too many years you've haunted me Edward. And I can't let that happen again. I need to move on from what you, forget what you put me through and just start over...and you can choose to be a part of our daughter's life or not on the one condition that you never, ever think about doing something so immature and stupid."

"And this new life, it obviously includes Jasper?" he asked.

"I think you already know the answer to that." And then something dawned on me "Wait, you took Lilly because of Jasper didn't you?" I stood up and glared at him. "God Edward you're so...you're so stupid!" I shook my head. This was unbelievable. He took my daughter, because of something he thought may happen.

"I know Elizabeth. I went about things the wrong way. Instead of coming to you and discussing it like adults, I took the cowards way out and ran. I ran because I was afraid that Jasper was going to replace me. I thought that he was either going to break your heart and you would leave or you two would end up together and you pick him to be Lilly's father, and completely shut me out."

"Where in god's name do you come up with this ridiculous scenarios?" I wanted to laugh at him, if I only I didn't know he was being honest and serious. "I told you this already but clearly it didn't stick in that big head of yours. I told you that no matter how much I hate you, no one will ever replace you. You are Lilly's father, you always will be. It just so happens that someone has come along...but, regardless of if it was Jasper or someone else, no one's taking your place."

He nodded but he still shifted his gaze towards the backyard where Jasper and Lilly was finishing up their story and a frown crossed his face. Almost as if he didn't believe me.

"Do you love him?" was his next question. Again, there was no use in answering one that either it was pretty obvious.

"Right." he sighed "And you're so sure that he loves you back?"

I looked outside and then back to him and shrugged "I don't really know anything when it comes to Jasper." That was the truth.

"How can you be with someone who you don't even know if they love you?"

"Because I know that he does care about me, in his own little way."

"And that's enough for you? How can you base an entire relationship on just that?"

"Love is never easy Edward. If we're so lucky to find someone, someone who means as much as Bella does to you for example, then you better fight for it. Fight with all you have. Because hopefully in the long run, it'll all be worth it. Love doesn't always have to make sense. If everything in this world made perfect sense, we'd all probably be leading very boring lives right now."

"Well, I know a thing or two about fighting for your true love." he smiled that smile that undoubtedly dazzled his wife every day "And for once, I actually agree with you. As much as you might still hate me and even though I know you may never fully forgive me for all the things I put you through, I do want you to be happy Elizabeth. You have to know that, regardless of the stupid things I've done."

"I appreciate it, really I do. But don't think you're going to dazzle your way into my good graces. Because I'm telling you right now Edward, if you even so much as think about pulling another stunt and try to take our daughter, I promise you that you won't make it through the front door. I won't be go compassionate if you try this again. You probably won't live. Either by my hands, my brother's or more likely Rosalie. So, just know that..." I stopped when I felt and arm slip around my shoulders. I knew who it was right away.

"The same goes for me as well Edward." I didn't even have to turn to know that the threat in Jasper's voice was very real "I spared your life once, don't think I'll do it again."

"I see that this new found relationship has given you a sudden feeling of protection over Elizabeth." Edward stood up and he looked a bit nervous "And I understand..."

"Good, so you can leave now dear brother of mine. I'm sure you have some major sucking up to to do to your wife." I wanted to laugh at that statement. Leave it up to Jasper. Never the one to sugar coat things.

"I'll leave you two." he took his cue and left the room.

"God help him when Rosalie gives him a piece of her mind." Even though those two weren't actually related, they were very similar.

"Where's Lilly?" was the first thing that come to mind.

"She's with Esme, she's making her dinner."

"Oh, ok. Good."

"I hope you didn't mind me just barging in here in the middle of your conversation." he turned me so I could face him.

"No, not really. But you would've done it anyways. You're such a stubborn person."

"Look Elizabeth." he gripped the top of my arms "I didn't exactly intend for any of this to happen ok? But, you sure as hell better believe that I'm going to protect you now that we're involved."

"Good to know." I smiled. Despite the way he said it, in that cold voice of his, I knew he meant what he was saying. Like I said, in his own way, he truly cared.

"Right, well now that we've got that settled and I scared my brother out of here, what do you say you and I go somewhere?"

"Where?"

"Well, being as we're apparently dating now, and I'm from the South, it's only proper that I take you out on a official first date." his hands dropped from my arms and grabbed both my hands in his.

"First date? Well I don't know Mr. Hale, that wasn't much of an invitation now was it?" I planted on a fake southern accent, and probably failed miserably.

"You're humor is cute Elizabeth..." he rolled his eyes "Now come on." he tugged on my hand as we walked towards the door "The longer we wait, the shorter amount of time we get to play my game."

"What game? I thought you said we were going on a date?"

"Well, I can't very well take you out to dinner now can I?" he responded with a smirk. Jerk. "I'm taking you on my version of a date. And trust me, I think you're going to enjoy it very much."

"Confident much?"

"Extremely. Now, by all means, pick up the pace Liz." he pulled on my hand again.

"Ok, ok." I laughed a bit.

A part of me was loving this right now. Even though he was still being his arrogant self, there was a much lighter quality about it. But at the same time, I was a bit skeptical as to just what exactly we were going to be doing. Knowing Jasper, the possibilities could be endless.

So I guess I would have to, much like everything else when it came to him, simply wait and see what happened. Because I could never really prepare myself for anything when Jasper was involved. I was just relieved that he was even giving us a chance.

And chances could just so happen lead to some of the greatest moments of your life.

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**Thank God for Jasper FINALLY coming to his senses. I tried to make things sweet, but still retain the Jasper quality of his character. I have to admit, the scars...a bit self indulgent. I just couldn't resist! And I can't tell you how happy I was with Liz going off on Edward. He deserved it! **

**Reviews=LOVE & A small preview. **

**Oh, and I have a new story that I posted. It's called 'The Fragile' and if you haven't already, and if you want to, I'd love for you all to check it out. It's different from the other things I've written.  
**


	23. Wicked Game

**A/N: Alright guys, so I apologize tremendously for not updating this story for like a month! That's ridiculous but, sometimes, stories and authors just need a break from one another. That, and I got a bit stuck. But, I'm back. Thanks for all my reviews are usual! **

**To my friend Lindsey, thanks for helping me with a bit with this chapter. And to Meg, there's a little piece in here for you....I think you'll like it! **

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Chapter 23: Wicked Game  
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"So, just what kind of game are we playing?" I asked once we finally seemed to be slowing down.

"It's not so much a game. It's more like a lesson actually." he stopped completely and I noticed that we were in a small clearing. Open yet secluded from everything and everyone. The perfect place to...well, nevermind that. I'm sure that wasn't the type of 'lesson' he was talking about. Right?

"What kind of lesson?"

"You need to learn how to block your thoughts and emotions."

"Why?"

"Just, sit and I'll explain." when I didn't move right away he glared at me "Any time this year, Elizabeth."

Knowing he wasn't going to ask me any nicer, I just sat down on the ground which was thankfully not wet or muddy. Once I was finally settled, he sat down right in front of me.

"You have some issues Liz, and I'm going to help you fix them." he looked and talked to me like I was a child.

"Look who's talking." I scoffed but regretted it a bit when I said "Oh, I mean...I..."

"Don't apologize. I don't get hurt easily remember? Maybe I should've worded it differently? Let's see..." he trailed off, getting lost in thought for a few seconds "You have a tendency to let certain words and movements get the best of you, pretty much making you an open book to mind and emotion readers."

"I still don't get it."

"Jesus." he sighed, standing up quickly and walking behind me "Tell me the first thing you think of." I was about to ask him what he was talking about when he kneeled on the ground behind me and wrapped one of his arms around my shoulders "First thing?" he whispered in my ear.

"The first time I met you." I leaned back against him, perfectly content with this position.

"Exactly. And we need to change that." he let go of me and came back so that he was facing me again. "It's perfectly fine for you to have this memories Liz but, you need to not immediately think of them whenever I or someone else happens to touch you or says something that could the trigger the memory."

"But, I like my memories." I confessed.

"I know you do. But, that doesn't mean you need to let the entire world just get into your head Liz. Don't you want to be able to block people out?"

I shrugged "I never really thought about it."

"Will you at least try? Let me teach you?"

"This is what you envisioned for our date? I think you need some better ideas."

"You came didn't you?"

"Oh, fine. Teach me whatever it is that's in that head of yours!" I gave up. There was no way I was going to win this battle. If he wanted to give me some weird lesson, then so be it.

"Alright, let's hear it. Come on, I know you have lots to say and not a whole lot of time." I smiled at him to which he just rolled his eyes.

"You, sit and just listen to me."

"Isn't that how it always is with you?"

"Are you going to be sarcastic the entire time?"

"Why?" I peered up at him "Is it bothering you?"

"No. But you staring at me like that might be a problem."

"I say we just make use of this little clearing for a much better activity." I attempted to flirt, maybe change his mind.

"Tempting" he leaned in, looking like he was going to kiss me but only brushed his lips on my cheek "But no. You really need to focus on this Elizabeth. And we're not leaving until you can do it."

"Jerk." I mumbled.

"And you're surprised, why?" I didn't answer him, I just waited. Wanting to just get a move on this whole lesson thing.

"Anyways, let's try another one alright. Close your eyes." He instructed and I reluctantly did "Again, I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind." I sat there, waiting impatiently for a few moments before I felt his fingertips graze lightly over the two scars I had near my collarbone.

"Answer truthfully, Liz. Otherwise this isn't going to work." He warned before I even said anything.

"That day in your room. When you had pressed against the bookshelf, going on about your shirt and how it had my scent all over it."

"Right" he pulled away "Now, what you need to do is think of something else."

"Like?"

"Anything but me and that day Elizabeth." He leaned in and touched me again and this time, I thought about something else. Images of the river flowed into my mind, giving me a sense of calm.

"See? That wasn't hard was it?"

"Actually, it is hard Jasper. How am I just supposed to automatically block things? It took me awhile to think of something other than you."

"It'll be hard at first but, you're just going to have to practice. That's why we're here. So we can practice."

"Wait, this isn't really fair." I stopped him. "You're doing all this stuff to me. What about me?"

"What about you?"

"I still want my answers."

"Answers for what?"

"From the moment I've met you, I've had questions in my mind that I've desperately wanted to ask you. But, you've always been so stubborn and refuse to tell me anything."

"So, what do you propose we do Liz?"

"For every touch, I get to ask a question." I answered him firmly "And you have to give me an answer too. An honest answer." I clarified.

He watched me, pondering my request in his mind for a few minutes.

"Oh, come on!" I huffed, his silence driving me crazy "If I can do this for you, can't you do this…for _me_?" I gave him a small smile.

"Well hell, Liz." He leaned in closer, grabbing my hands in his "I guess." He caved and my smile widened. I had won this round.

"Perfect. Ok, ok. Let's do this." I sat back, waiting for him to continue.

"Fine, the next one is a word." I nodded, waiting.

"Tree." He said simply and even though I know it shouldn't have, so many memories came flooding to me at one minute.

"The night I told you my story, and the day you had me pinned against one, totally driving me crazy with your touch." I sighed.

"Right. Now, think of something else. You have to keep doing it Liz. Over and over again."

Oh well there was something else I'd rather be doing and over and over right now.

"Fine. Ok, question time." I tilted my head a bit, thinking about a good one to ask him. "Ok, got it." I smiled a bit "Why did you hate me so much when we first met?"

"Liz, that's not even a question and you know it. You knew why I was ignoring you."

"That's not an answer, Jasper. Try again." I opened my eyes, locking my gaze with his "It's only fair."

"The second I met you, I never thought that we'd be here right now. I was so used to people being scared of me, pushing me away that I figured you would be no different. But, when I noticed that you were pretty damaged yourself, I knew then that you knew more about me before I even told you. And that's why I stayed away. I didn't want you to know more than you already did."

"So you were scared? Of me?"

"To a certain extent, yes." He confessed and at that moment, I wanted to just wrap my arms around him, assure him that everything was going to be okay. But, he'd probably just call me crazy, saying he didn't need 'pity' as it were.

"My turn" he continued and I felt him coming a bit closer to me, eventually resting one hand on my leg while entwining his fingers in my hair with the other. I knew this one even before I could blink. It overcame me so much so that a deep sigh passed my lips as I tried to get closer to him.

"Well, I don't think I even need to ask about this one?" he said quickly "the lust coming off of you is a bit too intense Liz. You need to tone it down a bit."

"That had to be one of the most infuriating moments I've ever experienced. But god" I snapped my eyes open "The way you touched me that night, pinning me against the wall…I was so sure that you finally going to crack and let me in. I was almost on the verge of desperation, just thinking about it. But, like always, you did a one eighty and got all angry with me."

"I think we both know now that anger is a pretty common emotion between the two of us." He stated and I nodded. Yes, anger was definitely a big emotion between us. And that's what made me think of my next question.

"You remember that night you told me about Evelyn and all that happened to her?"

"And you attacked me?"

I rolled my eyes but continued anyways "But then you gained control and you had me on the bed, and you had your hand on my throat?"I paused when it looked like a flash of pain crossed his face. "Um, well…I was wondering if I hadn't said anything, would you have really hurt me?"

"I honestly don't know." He sighed "And I hate that I can't give you a better answer. It was never my intention to physically hurt you Liz. But, I was so angry at that moment, I wasn't even seeing you. I wasn't thinking straight. I just wanted to hurt someone and you just so happened to be the person closet to me."

"Oh, I see. Well, I guess in a way that's good to know that you didn't actually want to hurt me. You just wanted to hurt someone in general."

"Speaking of which" he switched his hands so that I soon only felt one "This is the next one." I waited a couple of seconds before I actually felt his hand on my throat, putting the slightest amount of pressure on it. But, he didn't move it right away or even ask me anything. He just let his hand linger there for what seemed like forever before it dawned on me.

This one was more for him. To see if he could actually do this without really hurting me. Or, to see if I put up with it. He put more pressure, gauging my reaction. I didn't flinch. To any normal person, this would seem extremely odd but there was a part of my that understood why he was doing it.

"I know you'd never hurt me on purpose, Jasper." I raised my hand and placed it on top of his "I trust you. You might not trust yourself but I do and that's all that matters."

And perhaps for the first time since I had known him, I felt something coming from him. His own emotions were seeping into me. He wasn't blocking, wasn't hiding this time.

I could feel gratitude, mixed with a bit of lust and confusion. I went to open my mouth to say something but I was felt myself being pushed back before I had time to respond.

"What are you doing?" I looked up at him, still trying to figure out how I went from sitting to flat on my back in a matter of seconds.

"This is the final test, Liz." His face was inches above mine as he spoke lowly to me. As always, I thankful for the fact that I didn't have to breath otherwise I would've been in trouble.

As I felt his hands lightly tracing different parts of my body, I tried to desperately focus on something other than his touch. _Kittens, shopping, math equations_. But, the moment I felt his hand slip under my shirt, I completely lost my train of thought. I hissed in both frustration and pleasure. He knew exactly what he was doing to me.

"You're a horrible actress." he stopped his movements slightly "And you failed miserably."

"Well you're a horrible teacher. Maybe you should just teach me again?" I asked hopefully and completely seriously.

"Well I could." he pulled away from me completely "Or we could always just move on to some extra credit." He continued on this whole 'lesson' metaphor.

My eyes immediately shot open and I propped myself up on my elbows, just staring at him, wondering what his next move was going to be. And not a moment later, a sly smile crossed his face.

His lips were against mine in a second, his hand gripping the back of my neck as he pulled me up closer to him. It felt amazing, there was no question about that but, when I felt him moving his hand up into my hair and pulling on it roughly, I felt like I needed to get some things straight with him.

"Jasper, stop..." I broke the kiss and pushed him away from me, just a few inches so he could see me and vice versa.

"What Elizabeth?" his eyes were burning, intense. He obviously wasn't happy that I had stopped him.

"I have to ask you something but, you have to promise not to laugh at me."

"Nope." he shrugged "I'm just being honest." he added when he took in my surprised expression.

"Fine." I took a deep breath "I don't know if it's because this is the kind of stuff you're into or because you have so much more experience than me but...I was just wondering if...well, is this, you and me, is it always going to be so..._rough?" _

He looked like he wanted to laugh at me but, when he saw that I was completely serious he held it back.

"You sure know how to make a guy feel completely insensitive don't you Liz?"

"What? No, no...I didn't mean it like that. I was just you know, wondering?"

"I guess I'm just so used to being in control, getting what I want when I want it that, I don't remember what it's like to put other people's needs first. I don't know if I can change that about me. I've been doing it for almost a century."

"I know. And I don't want you to change one hundred percent on my account."

"So you like it rough?" he teased.

"No." I frowned but he was obviously reading my emotions pretty clearly "God, yes." I confessed "Why do you do this to me?"

"What?"

"Completely frustrate and fluster me all the time."

"Look, Liz." he moved off of me so that we were lying side by side. "I can't promise you that I'm going to stop being 'rough' as you put it. But, even though I know you like it, I can try and be..." he frowned "_sweet_."

It was my turn to want to laugh and I did for a few seconds before controlling myself "I'm sorry, Jasper. It's just...sweet isn't really the word that comes to mind when I think of you."

"Is that a challenge?" he glared over at me. I knew how much he hated to be challenged and this probably wasn't sitting well with him right now.

"Maybe, maybe not." I gave him a playful smile.

He came back towards me, placing one hand again in my hair. This time though, he was just running his hand through it, no pulling or anything.

He hovered over me, bringing his hand to my cheek, stroking it softly, "Is this sweet?" he asked, placing soft kisses on my face, making it hard for me to think. He kept kissing, making his way to my neck.

Then his mouth was on mine again, being the perfect mixture of gentle and rough, going back and forth, not being able to get enough. I doubt I'd ever be able to get enough of this man.

Without hesitation, he pulled my shirt over my head, taking a few moments to just stop and look at me, hints of both desire and appreciation in his eyes. I don't think a man had ever looked at me the way he was doing at this very moment.

Placing soft kisses along the areas of newly exposed skin, he needed no help in ridding neither myself or him of the rest of our clothes. Neither of us paid attention to the fact that we were outside. That didn't matter. Not when the need to be with one another again was overpowering every other coherent thought.

Bringing him back to me, he leaned down to brush his lips against mine before I felt him completely inside of me. His kisses matched his other movements. They were both painstakingly slow and I didn't know whether to yell or sigh. I wanted more of course but at the same time, the mere feeling of him being so gentle was enough to send me over the edge. He took his time, making sure that I was the one who was feeling good.

Neither of us lasted that long. But, that was to be expected given the amount of lust and other feelings that had been growing between us the past hour or so.

Coming down from that inexplicable high, he fell beside me but making sure to keep one arm around me as he lay on his back, holding me tightly against him.

"How's that for sweet?" he joked and I nudged him slightly.

"It was very sweet." I admitted "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Yea, well don't go around telling people. You better use what I taught you to keep this moment to yourself."

"It was pretty amazing. I don't think I want to share it with anyone else."

"This is probably what you envisioned happening between the two of us didn't you? When and if we were ever to get together, this is what our first time would like? Not hot, passionate sex in the shower?"

"Um" I shook my head, ridding my head of thoughts of the shower "Actually, I'm glad it happened the way it did. It may have been out of frustration at first but, I saw something change in your eyes, Jasper. So, you pretty much took over the entire thing but, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It was the perfect combination of our personalities I think."

"Personalities? You mean your constant nagging and my crazy mood swings?"

"I don't nag" I pouted "You on the other have major mood swings. But, it keeps things interesting at least."

"I still can't believe it. After everything, all the stunts I pulled on you, here we are…together."

"It's where I belong. Here with you. I don't see myself anyplace else or with anyone else for that matter."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to say something utterly romantic to you?" he asked me and I didn't know if he was being sarcastic or not.

"No, no I suppose not. I was just letting you know what I felt for you. Though, I've already told you the words…"

"Elizabeth" he broke our embrace, leaving me feeling incomplete somewhat. I had a feeling where this was going so before he had the chance, I grabbed my clothes quickly and dressed in a matter of seconds.

"It's fine, Jasper. Really, it is." I thanked my inability to cry otherwise I'd be a sobbing mess right now. "I uh, just forget I said anything alright?"

"Jesus, Liz" he stood up too and was my side fully dressed momentarily. "Will you let me say a word or two?" he turned me around so he could see me.

"I know that everything about this whole relationship isn't exactly conventional but" he paused, pondering his words "But, I can't have you getting upset every time you say something and I don't answer you back with what you want to hear. I know that you don't have a problem expressing and telling how you feel about me. I wish I could, I really do. But, it's going to take some time. And even then, I might not be able to say half the things I wish I could. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I do" I reached down to grab one of his hands "And I feel pretty stupid right now. I know how much you went through and that it effected you in a terrible way. So, I'll try not to say thinks like that anymore to you okay?"

"No, that's not what I meant" he looked down at our laced hands "Just because I can't say it, doesn't mean you have to stop. Say what's on your mind. You've never had a problem with it before…"

"You're such a complicated man you know that right? I can never keep up."

"That's good. Otherwise we'd be pretty boring you and I. And that's not an option."

"Can we just stop with all this lesson business? I don't want to play the game anymore. Can we just…go home?" I peered up at him, awaiting his response.

"Ah, home. Now there's one word I can agree with you on."

"How so?"

"Well" he squeezed my hand, bringing me closer to him "From now on Liz, home is where you are." He leaned down, pressing his cold lips against my forehead, practically making me melt with his words.

"Wow, that's two sweet moments in one day." I teased him as we began to walk back towards the house.

"Keep those thoughts to yourself remember?" he took hold of my hand again and my mind immediately avoided thoughts of Jasper. Rather, I thought about something else.

"Well, well. I'm impressed Liz. I didn't think you had it in you."

"I guess I had a pretty good teacher."

"Oh, this was just the beginning. Who knows, maybe I'll teach and show you more of my tricks" he gave me that arrogant smile that I was slowly beginning to love and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

We walked at a normal, human pace. Neither of us was in any hurry to get back to the house. We enjoyed the time we had at this very moment, just the two of us.

Walking, with his arm securely around me, I don't think I had ever felt safer. I felt safe, protected and appreciated. Things I wasn't sure I'd ever find. And I sure as hell didn't think that I'd be finding these things with a man who wasn't able to voice his feelings back to me.

But, Jasper had told me that home was where I was. And personally, that meant a whole lot more than an 'I love you' because that meant he planned on staying, making things between us work.

Though, there was still a big part of me that hoped that one day he'd be able to say the words back to me. A girl could dream right? And I was just hoping that the dream would become a reality…some day.

Who knew that a simple 'game' or lesson would've led to such revelations? Who knows, if all of Jasper's games ended this way, then I would be willing to play all the time. And I'm sure he would too.

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**These two are so complicated it's not even funny. But oh how I love them. Hope you guys enjoyed it, let me know!**

**This story, sadly, is coming to an end...in the near future. When I figure it all out, I'll let you know just how many chapters are left. **

**Reviews are love as always (I have no preview unfortunately for the next chapter though...sigh).  
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	24. A Day in the Life

**A/N: Okay guys, so I know it's been FOREVER since I last updated this story but so much has been going on both in real life and with other projects. But quite frankly, I was majorly stuck when it came to this story. I never really thought about where the story was going to once Jasper & Liz got together. Which, that's my own fault. BUT, luck would have it that inspiration finally came in the middle of the night and now there's FINALLY a new chapter which I hope you all enjoy!**

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****Chapter 24: A Day in the Life**

**Elizabeth**

They say that love changes a person and that time heals all wounds.

Well, while that may be partially true for me, no one ever mentioned what the alternative to those sayings were. Yes, it's no secret now that I am completely head over heels for a man who for tried to keep me out of his life. Try he did but it didn't work out. Why? Because I wasn't about to let Jasper Hale slip right through my fingers. No, the chemistry between us was too prominent to not notice.

Two months had passed since the day everything just seemed to all come together. Sometimes, it doesn't even seem real; like, if it were possible, I would be waking up from this dream at any moment. However, that has yet to happen and I hope that it never does.

I know that I shouldn't be so pessimistic but can you blame me? I spent so much time being haunted by what Edward did to me and then the first months I lived here, I was basically battling the dead fiancee of a man who wouldn't stay out of my head even if I wanted him to.

Even though the two of us are together now, things aren't perfect. In fact, they are from it. However, we're working on things, trying to make things work for _us_, not anyone else.

It was the end of the July now and it was a rather sunny day outside today. Basically what that meant is that no one could really venture outside, for fear of someone seeing us.

However, that rule doesn't apply to Lilly in the slightest. Being only half vampire, my daughter just so happens to not look like someone threw a gallon of glittering paint on her skin. She was so eager to go outside and play out in the forest that she wouldn't let up until finally Emmett and Rosalie agreed to take her. Oh, my daughter may love me tremendously and I will always be her mother but, there is no competing with her uncle Emmett and auntie Rosie as Lilly calls her.

Over the months, Lilly has definitely has come to have her favorites for certain things. For instance, she loves playing outside with Emmett and Rosalie because they'll let her do whatever she wants basically and Emmett will act like he's five when he's around her. When she wants to hear a story, she heads straight for Jasper. I have to admit, hearing him read to her with that ridiculously charming accent of his (the one he really only brings out for her) is completely attractive and seductive and he damn well knows it.

So, at the moment, Lilly is off playing outside while the rest of us are currently scattered around the house doing various things. Alice and Luca are locked away in their room, the two of them probably reading to each other. For some reason, those two love doing that. I mean but, if it makes them happy then who am I to judge? I saw Esme earlier sketching in her room, some new designs for around the house while Carlisle is working at the hospital.

That just left Edward, Bella, Jasper and myself sitting around in the living room. You would think that things would be awkward between all of us and while we're nowhere near being best of friends, things are at least amicable. Unlike Edward and Jasper, Bella and I have become closer over the past few months. I honestly cannot hate her; she had nothing to do with what her husband did. Oh I may have disliked her a bit at first but those days are long gone. In fact, she, along with the rest of the women in this house, are quickly becoming like family. Talk about crazy right?

And while there is still animosity between Edward and Jasper, they at least can be in the same room again. There was awhile where just the mere mention of his name almost sent Jasper into a frenzy. Not so much a jealous frenzy but more of an overprotective frenzy? If that makes any sense what so ever. He would lash out of Edward if he even so much glanced at me the wrong way. Which, I know that I should feel some sort of comfort over the fact that he was acting in that way but, I didn't want Jasper to waste all his time worrying about Edward when he could be focusing his attention on other things. Say like, me.

I know that the only reason he's acting even semi civil with Edward these days is because of Lilly. It's pretty obvious that he cares about her a lot. I'm not sure if he sees himself as a father figure or not but regardless, he is wonderful with her and Lilly is enamored with him. She may be young but she's pretty conscious if the fact that while Edward may be her father, he is with Bella and now I'm with Jasper and she doesn't seem to be too confused by it anymore. I'm mommy and Edward is daddy and that's that.

Anyways, here were now at this very moment, it being someone's bright idea to watch some horror movie this afternoon. Even though we may be 'immortal' there's just something about these kinds of movies that still give me the creeps.

"Oh, that's disgusting." I turned and pressed my face into the side of Jasper's shoulder, not wanting to see the gory mess on the screen.

"How do you find this scary?" he scoffed "You're a vampire Elizabeth, man up." He nudged me when I pulled away. I just rolled my eyes at him. These things had no effect what so ever on him.

The two of us were lying on the ground in the living room while Bella and Edward were on the couch as we watched this disturbing movie.

As I watched the film, I felt an arm drape lightly across my back and soon after, there was a slight movement across my skin.

I couldn't help but smile, all thought of being remotely upset with Jasper gone. How could I when he was tracing my scars again? Letting his fingers oh so casually roam across them.

He treated them like the most fascinating thing in the world. And, I couldn't deny it, his touch was heavenly.

Another thing that has changed around here? I'm pretty much comfortable with everyone here that the days have passed and I no longer have to hide my scars from the rest of them. I have long since just accepted it as a part of who I was and no one treats me any different because of them. Well, that's not true. Jasper _does _treat them quite differently than everyone else but, that's a completely different story.

I was momentarily distracted by his touch that I wasn't expecting something terrifying to pop out onto the scream. Which in turn, caused both Bella and myself to scream like the girls we were.

When I screamed, I turned to try and hide my face but, since Jasper had his arm over my back, I pretty much ended up being pinned underneath him when I moved.

His laughter was dark but with a hint of softness mixed in as he looked down at me.

"You're an ass you know that?" I frowned, trying to move but he wouldn't let me.

"Did you expect anything less?" his eyes softened but just to the point where only I would notice it.

The movie was completely forgotten the second he began to lean in towards me.

"No" I caved in the moment those lips were inches above my own.

"That's what I though" He whispered slyly before giving me what I literally ached for sometimes.

At the same time, I could barely feel his hand slowly making its way into my hair, giving it the slightest tug.

It was quick and hardly noticeable but, it was enough to get a reaction out of me.

The only reaction out of Jasper was a satisfied smirk that I felt on my lips.

Oh how he was able to get to me with the smallest touch.

"Can the two of you please tone it down?" I faintly heard someone clear their throat, trying to get our attention.

Jasper, much to my dismay, pulled away leaving me feeling a bit…oh what did Bella call it? Oh yea…_dazzled. _No, dazzled wasn't the right word. That wasn't a good enough word for Jasper. Whatever the case, I was obviously feeling discontent when he pulled away.

"Why? Are you jealous Edward?" Jasper voice and eyes returned to that cold and emotionless façade he still liked to put on. In truth, I knew it was always going to be a part of him.

"Hardly." He scoffed. And for a moment, Jasper looked like he was going to get up and say something.

"Hey." I grabbed his face and turned him to look at me "Why don't we just finish watching the movie?"

"Fine." He mumbled and moved slightly so that I could roll back over.

"But…" his lips were suddenly against my ear and his hand back on the scars "Later, we'll give him something to really be jealous about. Got it?"

I just nodded slowly, trying to stop myself from doing anything irrational. But, with Jasper, my thoughts always seemed to be all over the place.

"Good." And, with a kiss on the top of my head, we returned to the movie.

But, the movie was the _last _thing on my mind. Clearly, the same could be said for him as well because as soon as those credits started rolling, I felt him taking my hand, practically yanking me up against him.

"It can't wait til later" he murmured quickly into my ear before tugging on my arm, pulling me towards the stairs. I caught Edward and Bella staring at us with two different expressions. Bella had a small grin on her face, shaking her head while Edward seemed a bit confused along with a twinge of jealousy. Guess Jasper was right. We _would _find a way to make him jealous. It didn't really surprise me, especially now knowing how much Jasper liked to play games, mess with their heads. I knew that first hand.

"Well" I laughed once we were securely in the room, door closed behind him "looks like you sure got him worked up."

"Liz, what are you talking about?" I turned towards him not missing the fact that his eyes had gone about three shades darker as he approached me, encircling my wrists with his hands before pushing me back quickly until I was on my back, him propped up above me. "we've" he slide our hands up until mine were pinned on either side of my head "only just begun" his lips hovered over my ear briefly, earning me to swallow quickly and just nod. What else could I do? I was pretty much at his mercy. Not that I was complaining though.

Lips brushed across my cheek, over my own and then down my neck before daring to venture lower. Before I knew it, clothes had been shed and I was suddenly feeling…well, far more than dazzled I can tell you that right now. Lips and hands kissed, explored and skimmed over anything they landed on. Even though this wasn't, shall we say as rough as it was like that very first time, I was beginning to see that there was just something in Jasper that liked to be in control of the situation. Yea, there were a few times here and there were he was oddly soft and gentle but that just wasn't him. He was dominant, aggressive in every sense of the word and what can I say? I loved him for it because underneath the feral tendencies he had, there was something inside of him that cared deeply about me and even if he had an odd way of showing it, I knew it was there. Like I said, we weren't perfect. We were just _us_.

When it was all said and done, the two of us just lay there for a few seconds, taking deep, unneeded breaths. I was still on my back while Jasper was on his side, just staring at me for a few moments before that sexy smirk graced his lips once again.

"What are you thinking now?"

"Other than how beautiful you look right now?" he leaned forward a bit, pushing some of my hair behind my ear proving my point that he _did _have his moments "I'm thinking that we really did show Edward, the amount of jealousy radiating from downstairs is a bit too much."

"Really?" I thought about it for a minute, not understanding why he would be _that _jealous of Jasper and I.

"It just goes to show you" he leaned in closer, hand still on my cheek and eyes boring into mine "Edward can't make Bella scream the way I can." the intensity in his eyes was a bit overwhelming that for a second, I had no words but after getting my thoughts back in order, I just rolled my eyes at him. He was such a guy sometimes.

"Well someone's extremely confident aren't they?"

"Are you really going to deny that fact Liz? I mean, the walls in this place may be thick but with our hearing, they might as well be made out of paper."

He did have a point Whether you wanted to or not, the sounds of other couples in the house engaging in intimate activities did not go unnoticed. Thankfully, it wasn't something that happened often. I didn't need my daughter having to hear that all the time.

"Yea, I guess you're right." he did have a point, however odd it was, none the less, he was right.

"Though" he mused some more "I don't think we'll ever be on the level of your Brother and Rosalie. I mean those two.."

"Jasper!" I pushed him, cringing "I do not want to think about my brother in that way thank you very much."

"I'm just saying Liz, we may be better than Edward and Bella but we're no where near Emmett and Rose."

"Since when is this a competition?" I mean, really?

"It's not, Liz" he shrugged "I'm just pointing out some simple facts."

Well, if he was going to keep on this arrogant streak he was on, two could play that game.

"Well you know" I turned towards him more, slightly inching closer to him "us girls get to talking sometimes too."

"That so?" his eyes watched my movement, but his sly smile still remained in place. "and just what do you ladies about?"

"Oh you know shopping, movies" I finally reached him, quickly placing my legs on either side of him "but sometimes we talk about the things you boys just can't get enough of."

His smile dropped a bit when I pushed him back firmly against the pillow before bringing my lips over his, barely grazing them "and I know for a fact that you can't get enough of this." I slid a bit further down, my lips pressing kisses against his chest as my fingertips traced over the multitude of scars he had before eventually came back up to eye level with him. I wasn't to surprised to see him glaring at me the way he was.

"What?" I smiled innocently

"Don't play innocent with me Liz" his voice was practically a growl as his hands somehow ended up on my hips.

"You can't complain about me being dominant Jasper" I leaned against him tighter "I learned from the best." I tried my best at being seductive and sexy as I whispered it in his ear. It must've worked because eyes suddenly went dark all over again and his eyes were fixated on my lips before snaking one of his hands behind my head and crashing my lips against his in both a fierce and possessive kiss. Just to mess with him some more, showing him I wasn't the only one who could do this, I bit his lip, emitting a hiss to flow from him to me before tangling my hands in his hair, wanting to bring him as close to me as possible.

"Damn Liz" he held my face in his hands while mine were still in his hair "how do you..I mean…damn." he shook his head and I couldn't hold back the giggle that escaped my lips.

"Ready for another round lover boy?"

"Is that even a question?" I shook my head, about to sweep back down wanting to feel him all over again when there was a sudden knock at the door. I stopped immediately and looked back at the locked door.

"Go away" Jasper responded before I could.

"Someone's looking for their mom." I heard my brother's voice.

"Bull" Jasper shook his head, staring at me "he's just messing with you Liz."

"I am not!" I could hear my brother laughing "she is looking for you Lizzy downstairs so I suggest you come out here." I lowered my head for a second, shaking my head.

"Fine, I'll be right there." I moved quickly off of him, dressing in a matter of seconds, Jasper reluctantly

doing the same.

"Don't make say I told you so when you're going to want to kick his ass."

"Yea, yea come one…help me make dinner for Lilly?" I batted my eyelashes at him and he quirked an eyebrow at me, almost as if he was asking 'you really think that's going to work?'

But, I knew he would agree to it. Like I said, those two were growing closer each and every day. He may not see her as his daughter but he does care about her.

"Lead the way" he motioned for me to go first and he followed closely behind me. When I opened the door, Emmett was still standing there, arms folded across his chest, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Now Lizzy" Emmett stepped forward "you go downstairs, I need to have a chat here with Jasper."

My eyes widened at my brother's statement and I didn't know whether to laugh or take him seriously. "Are you..you're joking right?"

"I'm afraid not little sister." his grin was still in place but something told me he was actually being serious.

"What in god's name are you going to talk to him about?"

"Don't worry your pretty head about it." he ruffled my hair, like he did when I was a little girl "I wasn't lying when I said Lilly was looking for you by the way."

"Um, okay then." I turned back to Jasper, who gave me a nod and kiss on the forehead, earning a frown from me. "I'll see you guys downstairs in a bit I guess." I turned away from them and made my way down the stairs, towards the living room where in fact, Lilly was sitting with Esme and Rosalie.

"Mommy!" she beamed, standing up and running straight into my arms "I got you this!" she pulled a flower from behind her back, smiling brightly.

"Oh baby it's beautiful. Thank you." I kissed her cheek, holding her tighter to me. "did you have fun with Emmett and Rosalie?"

"Yes" she shook her head excitedly "they let me play in the trees."

"The trees huh?" I shook my head. They really did let her do whatever it was she wanted "well baby, all that tree climbing must've made you hungry?"

"Mhm, I'm hungry mommy" she patted her stomach gently, causing us all to laugh.

"Oh, she's been hanging out with Emmett too much." I sighed "well come on sweetie, lets go make you something." I started walking towards the kitchen, not knowing how long Emmett was going to be talking to Jasper. I could only imagine what those two would be talking about. I set Lilly on the counter as I began to pull out things to cook for her.

"Mommy?" she called my attention back to her "Where's Jasper?" she seemed a bit scared in asking me where he was.

"He's upstairs sweetie with Uncle Emmett, they're talking. Why baby?"

"He…he won't leave?" she stumbled over her words "leave me?" I set down the dishes and walked back over to her.

"What do you mean honey?" she had such a look of sadness in her eyes and I didn't understand it.

"He won't leave?" she repeated "I love him." she smiled sadly "tell him mommy."

"Angel, Jasper isn't going anywhere." I tried to reassure her "he cares about you too much. He's not going to leave you."

"Promise?" the sadness seemed to dwindle a bit

"I promise." I hugged her and kissed her forehead. That seemed to be enough for her because soon all traces of sadness were gone from her eyes and she watched me intently as I cooked for her. Just as I was finishing for her, Edward and Bella walked in, talking amongst themselves and not more than two minutes later, Emmett and Jasper strolled in as well. I quickly scanned Jasper and Emmett's face for any signs of tension or anger. Using my gift of mimicry, I was able to get both a feel of the emotions and thoughts in the room. Emmett was cool as a cucumber, going to over to talk with Bella and Edward. Jasper on the other hand, there was no emotion I could pick up on and that immediately sent up a red flag. It had been awhile since Jasper had done this to me and now here he was, shutting me out again.

"Jasper!" Lilly called his attention and to no surprise, he smiled warmly at her, approaching her and picking her up in his arms.

"Hey darlin', miss me?"

"Yes." she giggled "I climbed trees."

"Oh is that so? Tell me all about it." and he did just that, listening to her every word as he spoke to her and her adventures with her aunt and uncle. In the midst of all this, everyone ended up around the table, listening to Lilly ramble on about her afternoon playing. Something so simple and yet everyone seemed to be entranced by her. When she was finally done, she looked around at everyone, her eyes falling on her father and Bella with his arm wrapped around his wife, telling her something along the lines of him loving her. Lilly got this peculiar look on her face before twisting herself in Jasper's arm, tugging on his shirt.

"Jasper?" she still slurred his name slightly. He looked down and awaited the rest of her question. "love?" she asked.

"Love what Miss Lilly?" even he seemed a bit confused. I knew what was coming before she asked him again.

"Love…mommy?" she pointed between Jasper and myself before patting Jasper's chest lightly, over the area where his non beating heart was "love?" she repeated. Such a simple question from an innocent little girl. Even though she was so young, it was a pretty legitimate question to ask. Every other person in this house was in love with someone, coupled off so it would only be natural that she would think the same now that Jasper and I were together. After all, her daddy had Bella, it would only be right that her mommy would have Jasper. Oh, if only it were that simple. My daughter had no idea about how complicated Jasper and I's relationship was; how much we had gone through to get to just this point. And my baby, bless her, had just unknowingly pushed back a lot of progress we had already made.

Jasper was speechless as he silently handed Lilly over to Edward who was sitting the closet to him before making his way towards the back door, slipping out without a word. He never so much looked back at me as he walked away. Ever since that day out in the clearing, I hadn't mentioned the word love to Jasper again. Of course I knew he cared about me deeply and he knew that I loved him so much but that was sort of the extent of things so far. I of course had hoped that he'd one day come around and finally feel how I felt but I wasn't going to press my luck and I was just going to let whatever happen, happen. But, the second Lilly asked him, I saw something change in his eyes. He had turned cold, back to that once emotionless state he had been in before he started letting me into his life. The more I thought about it, something dawned on me. A simple question from a child shouldn't have effected him so much.

"Emmett?" I turned towards my brother "what did you tell him?"

He didn't even blink before answering simply "everything he didn't want to hear."

Oh, god. I knew exactly what he was talking about. My brother had always been extremely protective of me and wanted nothing but the best for me and I can only imagine how we went on and on to Jasper about how much I loved him and that he needed to do the same, treat me right and so forth. These were all things that Jasper _knew _but they were also things that he didn't want to accept or force himself to do. And I knew that, just not everyone else.

Looking towards the forest, I wondered how long he would be gone. Should I go after him or let him come back to me? What if he didn't come back?

I decided that I would wait at the house and see what would happen when and if he did come back.

Though it hurt for him to just walk away like that, I also knew that this was just another day in the life in this house, living this life with such a complicated man. A complicated man who no matter what, I still loved him all the same, regardless if he came back or not, my feelings weren't going to change.

Now all I had to do was wait. Like everything else with jasper, I'd have to hope for the best but still prepare myself for the worst.

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**Oh, there's never a short supply of hottness and drama when it comes to Jasper right?? Alright guys...so I'm thinking, that either next chapter or the following...will be the last of this story. Sad, I know!! But, there'll be no need to drag it on...and I have a pretty good idea of how I want to end this now. **

**Reviews and Love as usual!!  
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	25. Bella Luna

**AN: It's sure funny and odd when after so much time, inspiration comes to you. This is the second to last chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!**

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****Chapter 25: Bella Luna**

**You expose all memory  
You make the most of boundary  
You're the ghost of royalty imposing love  
You are the queen and king combining everything  
Intertwining like a ring around the finger of a girl  
I'm just a singer, you're the world**

**Jasper**

Much like I've been doing for decades, I did the one thing I was good at.

I ran.

I ran as quickly as I could, as far away from that house as I possibly could. I didn't even chance it and look behind me, for fear of someone following me. Well, not just someone. I was fearful of it being Elizabeth behind me. In this state, I was afraid that I would say something to her that would break her, something I never wanted to do.

It was a matter of minutes before I reached the clearing. The clearing where I had 'taught' Liz to block her emotions, but clearly had failed miserably to do just now. I had let the innocent question of a child work me up into a frenzy and I didn't know what to do with these new found emotions.

Sinking to the ground, I tried desperately to think about anything other than Elizabeth, but all that I saw and heard in my mind was the conversation I had with Emmett no more than an hour ago. A conversation that I brushed off as nothing, but in reality it was everything. Emmett had asked and told me everything that I was refusing to see for myself. With good reason, Emmett was Liz's brother, Lilly's uncle and he would do anything to protect them.

Eyes open, eyes shut, all I heard was Emmett.

"_I don't think you've been treating my sister fairly." Of course I knew that was true, but I didn't admit to it. "She deserves to be happy, Jasper. With you though, I feel she's only half content."_

"_I don't know what you want me to say Emmett. Liz knows I'm trying my damndest to be the man she thinks I can be."_

"_Well, you're not trying hard enough. My sister loves you, Jasper. Does that not mean anything to you?"_

_It means everything. "It does matter. You don't think I care about her?"_

"_Oh, I know you do. I knew you cared about her even before you did, but caring and loving someone are two different things. You two aren't on the same page an you know it."_

"_Liz told me…"_

"_Yes, I'm very aware of what my sister told you, but you can't honestly believe that she's fully content with it do you? Have you looked at it through her perspective? Every woman wants to find a man to love and cherish her, treat her like she's the most important thing in his world. For some reason, she's found that in you Jasper. Call it fate or something else, but whether you like it or not, you owe it to her. You…"_

"_I don't owe her anything." That was a lie and I knew it. "Liz knew what she was getting into the second we agreed to try and make this work. I'm sorry if I'm not being man enough for her or walking around expressing my emotions like the rest of you, but that's just not how I work and she knows that."_

"_That's just it." He shook his head, disappointed. "Liz loves you so much to the point that she's only seeing what she wants. She knows you care for her, buts she wants more. You can't honestly expect her to wait all eternity for you do you?" That question needed no answer. No matter what I said, we both knew that she would wait for me and that, well that wasn't exactly fair to her. _

"_Emmett, I…I can't give her everything she wants. I can't be this perfect man she deserves."_

"_Oh, please." He scoffed. "Liz knows you're far from perfect. For some reason, you two understand each other on levels no one else understands, including myself. You guys may not see it, but you've changed each other."_

"_So what do you suggest I do?" _

"_You need to man up and tell her how you feel. She's given herself fully to you, why can't you do the same?"_

"_It's not that simple Emmett…there's complications."_

"_We all have flaws and complications man." He laughed. "Look at Liz, look at Rosalie. They were hurt by men in the worst possible way and yet, here they stand, still capable of loving another man and letting them into their lives. You don't think Liz thinks about what happened to her every time she sees Edward or even Lilly? Her pain, the scars, they'll always be there, but she's learning to heal. The only thing that's keeping her from healing completely is you."_

"_Me?" I didn't understand nor did I appreciate accusation. "I didn't do anything to her in her past."_

"_No, but you did something to her recently. All that time you pushed her away, you don't think we all saw the pain you put her through? You may not have done what Edward did, but you hurt her by shutting her out. Liz is an amazing girl Jasper…"_

"_I know she is." That I didn't need reminding of. _

"_No, I don't think you do because if you realized just how amazing and truly unique my sister is, you still wouldn't be playing these mind games with her. You two may be together physically, but mentally and emotionally, she's still putting forth all the effort while you're barely trying, barely going along with it. It's not fair to her, it's not fair to Lilly…"_

"_Wait, wait." I held my hands up. "What does Lilly have to do with anything?" _

_He gave me a knowing look. "Honestly Jasper, if you have to ask, you're not as smart as I think you are."_

_Well that didn't help me._

"_Don't you see? Lilly is just as big a part of my sister's life as you are. She loves that little girl and she'll always come first. She wants you to be a part of not just her life, but Lilly's as well."_

"_Are you implying she wants me to be a father figure towards her?" Oh, there was no way in hell. Liz was one thing, but being a father? That didn't seem right. As much as I cared about that little girl, she wasn't my daughter. _

"_No one's asking you to replace her father, but in time, if you and Liz stay together, Lilly's going to see you as more than just…Jasper. She's going to think of you as a father figure as she gets older." _

"_I don't think I can ever be that man then. There's no way, Emmett. Your sister is one thing, but I can't imagine myself being a father. Not today, maybe not ever."_

"_You don't know that. You're already amazing with her.."_

"_No Emmett." I stopped him, not being able to handle the wide range of emotions crashing down on me. "I can't, there's no way…I'm trying and that's all I can do. If Liz decides it not good enough for her, I'll let her decide. All I know now is that I can't handle this right now." I walked past him, preparing myself to explain to Liz what just happened, but he stopped me. _

"_Don't run, Jasper. It'll only hurt her." He let me go and the two of us walked down the stairs, into the kitchen where everyone else was at._

It was that very second that Liz looked over at me, that I instinctively shut down all my emotions, essentially blocking her. It was something I hadn't done in almost two months, but with one look I couldn't let her know how I was feeling. I wasn't so sure how I was feeling if I was being honest.

Confused, angry and bitter seemed about right though, I didn't want her to sense any of that. Emmett was right, she had been putting so much effort and yet, I wasn't doing much. Sure, I was letting her in slowly, but what good did that do if I could never let her in fully?

Lilly's simple question if I loved her mother made things so much harder. I knew I'd have to face that question sooner or later, but I hadn't been expecting it to come from a four year old little girl. With everyone's eyes on me, it was all too much. So, I did what Emmett warned me not to do: I ran. I ran and probably hurt Liz worst than I had before, but I couldn't take it back now. My running off clearly translated to the answer of no, I didn't love her.

"Oh, but Jasper you do love her." A voice answered my inner thoughts, causing me to look up and around me. There was no one out in the clearing other than myself. Even if there had been, only Edward would be able to read my mind, but there was no one.

"Don't tell me," the voice spoke again "that after all this time, you've forgotten me dear Jasper?" The second time I listened, something dull and unsettling panged the pit of my stomach. Rising, I looked around again, turning in a complete circle. When I came back to where I started, my knees nearly gave out at the sight before.

There standing right in front of me, clear as day was the _last _person I thought I'd ever see again. The one person who I had so longed to see just one more time.

"Evelyn?" My own voice sounded strained and foreign as I stared at the vision in front of me. "You…this isn't real." I backed away, feeling like I had completely lost my mind. Clearly I wasn't dreaming, I no longer had that capability.

"Of course I'm not real darling," she practically floated towards me "though you've been treating, talking about me as though I was for quite some time now haven't you?"

Evelyn was exactly the way I had her etched in my permanent memory. Hell, she was even wearing the same thing the night I proposed to her. It was night that she was a vision of perfection in my eyes. There was no trace of the all the pain and damage she had endured.

She _was _an angel.

"I am an angel, yes." She laughed softly. "I'm not here for that purpose though."

"How are you here Evelyn?" Giving in, I talked to her like she was actually here in front of me instead of this off hallucination.

"I came to tell you that you need to let me go Jasper." Though she was smiling, there was a twinge of sadness in her eyes. "You've been clinging on to my memory for far too long."

"How am I supposed to forget you? You were the love of my life Evelyn, and I was completely shattered when you were taken from me."

"I know, Jasper. I would've given anything for things to have been different. I wanted nothing more than to marry you, have a family and grow old together. However, fate seemed to have something different in store for each of us."

I scoffed. "Fate is cruel, Evelyn."

"Perhaps, but you've spent all this time trying desperately retain my memory that you've shut yourself off from everything good that's come into life since."

"There's been no good Eve, no good."

Stepping closer, her hand reached out and I actually felt her touching my face. "There have been two very good things that have happened to you since my death, Jasper."

When I didn't respond, she continued. "The Cullens and…and Elizabeth."

"I didn't ask to live with the Cullens and I've done nothing but hurt Liz since I met her."

"Sometimes we hurt the ones we love, but in the long run, it's worth it. Oh Jasper can't you see? What we had, it wasn't in vain. Though it was only for a short time, we were never truly meant to be."

"Eve, no you were my everything."

"At the time, I was. After everything you endured Jasper, you forced yourself to believe that I was the only good in your life. You convinced yourself that everything you touched died or was destroyed in the long run and that's why you refused to let anyone in. Then there was that cruel and vile Maria…" she paused, anger flashing in her eyes. "The things she did to you, that part of your life I wish you didn't have to relive. She broke you in so many ways. Ways that made you incapable of loving for quite a long time, but that's all changed now. Someone's come into your life that saw past all your flaws and pain and wants nothing more than to make you happy and to love you."

"I know she loves me." I admitted quietly. "Though, I don't know if I can love her back, Eve."

"Nonsense Jasper." She patted my cheek and backed away. "You already love her, you just need to bring yourself to see it. That's why I'm here, why you're seeing me."

"How do I love someone, when I haven't loved in so long?"

"You have to find the will. Elizabeth believes in you so much Jasper. She, like myself, saw things in you that you had long since forgotten about yourself. You possess remarkable qualities. You are a strong, compassionate man, Jasper. You just got a bit lost along the way. If you can just forget everything, every wrong that has ever happened to you, you will be able to find that good again. Only you can do it, search deep down."

"Everything that happened to me, all the bad, it's a part of me. Literally." She glanced down at my scars, a soft smile of understanding crossing her face.

"Your scars are a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. While they are a part of you, they do not define you. You're not this monster you let people think you are. Things, people like the Cullens and Elizabeth matter to you."

"You matter to me too, Eve." I didn't want her to think that I would so easily forget her. "You taught me to love once, can you help me do it again?" It was a bit unorthodox to be asking a spirit to teach me something so simple.

"What I taught you is still embedded in your mind, you just need to find it again. I cannot teach it again, but I can show you." She came to me and wrapped her slender arms around me. Though she wasn't real at all, I felt her as if she was. She was warm, that warmth radiating straight to me as she did so.

"Close your eyes, Jasper." She spoke softly and, not ever being able to deny Evelyn anything, I did as she instructed. Closing my eyes, images began flooding my mind. Her doing this reminded me immediately of Luca and his gift of seeing people's past. However, everything Eve was showing me, reminding me of, were all good things.

I saw Susan, my sister and all the good times we had growing up before she was taken. I saw myself and Evelyn, and all the days leading up to the day she was taken. There were even tiny moments during my time with Maria that, while not exactly good, were not bad either.

There was my meeting with Alice and the few years we spent together, none of which was bad. I was always going to love Alice because it was almost impossible _not _to. Moments between my new family followed soon after. Though we may not have always gotten along, there were moments worth smiling over and fondly remembering.

The last thing Eve showed me were the moments with Lilly and eventually with Liz. The past two months had truly been something I hadn't experienced in such a long time. Though she hadn't said she loved me out loud since that day in the clearing, I could feel her love every day.

As I watched everything, I soon saw that Liz was perhaps the only girl who understood my sometimes twisted sense of humor. My witty comments laced with genuine concern, she got that too. When I pretended I didn't care, she knew I did deep down, but didn't call me out on it anymore.

She was beautiful like Evelyn. She was immortal like Maria, but that's where all comparisons ended. Liz was her own woman who didn't know the human Jasper or Maria's Jasper. No, she was in love with the me now, all flaws and quirks included.

All in all, she had learned to _accept _me for who I was without question. She took what she could get from me, but we both knew it wasn't enough nor was it far.

"Ah," Evelyn pulled away from me "you see it now don't you?"

"She's the one?"

"Why do you question what you already know?"

She was right, damn it she was so right!

It taken me this long, but I had come to see that I…I _loved _Elizabeth. I had just been too stupid and blind to see it. For so long, I had denied myself love that when I finally found it, staring right back at me in the face, I didn't realize what it was.

"I ran away from her Eve. What if she doesn't want me when I go back? What if I pushed her too damn far this time?" The very thought was unsettling. I had been known to shut myself off from people, but know that when I needed her and _wanted _her to be a part of my life fully, was it going to be too late for us? Had I pushed her too far, to the point where she would have given up on me?

"Now isn't the time to second guess yourself darling. Elizabeth has not given up on you nor will she ever give up on you."

Evelyn had never steered me wrong before so I had no choice but to believe her. "Go to her." She whispered.

"What about you Evelyn? You have to know that I will never stop loving you?"

"Well I should sure hope not. I will always love you too dear Jasper. There's no denying we had something special, but Elizabeth is the one for you. She is the one that you belong with. I was just there, all those years ago, to teach you how to love so that you could someday be able t love Elizabeth. We'll never forget one another, but it's time you move on."

_Move on_. The one thing Liz had been telling me for months, actually made sense now. I could actually see myself moving on with her and having a life with her.

For months, she had been trying to make me see the light and I had brushed her off. She had brought forth memories I didn't want to relive, but she did it with reason. She was doing it to give me second chance, to allow myself to love again.

She kissed my cheek softly, the warmth of her skin offering me the comfort I had so long been missing. Her kiss was our last goodbye. I knew after this moment, I would never see her again. This had been the closure I had needed all these years and wasn't even aware of it. Someone somewhere wanted me to be happy after all. I thought of my mother and sister, wondering if they were watching me from somewhere, finally happy and content that I was about to get my happy ending as it were.

"Goodbye Jasper." She moved away from me and, in what seemed like a flash, she was gone. A mere second later, I was gone. Running back towards the house, my mind was spinning. I knew I had to do this quick otherwise, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it any other time. Sure Evelyn had convinced me of what was already there, but I was a stubborn man who always let his pride and past get in the way of things. It wasn't going to fade away in a day, but if I could do this, then everything else would fall into place.

Approaching the house, I sensed all the emotions floating around. Feelings of worry, confusion and anger were among only a few of them. The closer I got, I could feel hope and longing. I knew those two had to belong to Liz. For so long she had been waiting for this and I was finally going to be the man she needed to me to be and confess to her what was there all this time.

Walking in through the back, I saw Esme and Carlisle sitting in the kitchen with Lilly, the two of them working on some kind of art project. Lilly smiled immediately when she saw me. Such a innocent little girl, a child who I truly did care about. Walking to them, I kissed Lilly's forehead and Esme's cheek. I never realized what a truly wonderful person Esme Cullen was until now. Taking us all in, treating us all the same, but most importantly, giving us the love and comfort we had all seemed to lack when we came into this new life. Lilly laughed and Esme smiled warmly, she somehow knowing what was going on.

Slowing my pace as I walked into the living room, I scanned the room quickly looking for her. I saw Alice and Luca at the piano, him trying to teach her to play something. Edward and Emmett were on one of the couches, their gazes shifting towards me when I walked in. They didn't say anything, but they both looked rather upset with me. Finally, I saw her. Seated between Rosalie and Bella, was Liz. She had her head resting on Rosalie's shoulder as the other two women spoke to her quickly and quietly.

"Liz?" The second I said her name, her head was up, eyes narrowing at me. Her gaze was that of anger, but I felt something underneath that. She was actually relieved that I was back. Knowing it was now or never, I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. She watched me with wary eyes when I didn't say anything.

_Tell her, Jasper. Tell her now. _

"Elizabeth," I grabbed her face in my hands, gazing into those golden eyes "I love you." The words were rushed, but I knew she heard me. Still with her so close to me, I let my lips capture hers, attempting to let every single thing I felt for her flow between the two of us. She allowed it for a few moments before she pulled away, her eyes wild and frantic as she looked back at me.

So sure she was going to say she loved back right away, I began to grow anxious when she said nothing.

"Liz, did you not hear me…" My sentence was cut short when I felt a hand fly across my cheek. Stunned, I blinked a few times before looking at her again. She was standing, hands running through her hair and she seemed to be breathing uneasy. She didn't look like a woman who was happy. No, she looked like a woman who was pissed.

"I can't play games anymore Jasper." Her voice was strained as she looked at me. "I don't have the strength. You keep running and I don't think I can keep chasing you for all eternity."

"But, I just told you that I.."

"No," she stopped me again, backing away from me "this…no…no more games." She shook her head before making a run for the door, towards the back yard.

I stood there, completely dumbfounded by what just happened.

"Perhaps we should go talk to her?" Alice stood, rallying the girls at her side. "I'm sure she just needs time Jasper."

Time? What the hell did she need time for! I was the one who had been wasting time and now when I finally tell her, she goes running away? I didn't understand, I didn't understand on bit.

"No, Alice." I stopped her. "I need to do this on my own."

For the second time in one day, I ran. Only this time, I was running towards the one thing I had been so afraid of instead of away from her. Eve said that Liz would never give up on me, never stop loving me and damn it, I was going to make her see that this wasn't a game to me anymore.

I honestly and was completely in love with this woman, and she would know. If I didn't, I was very liable to lose her forever and there was no way in hell that was going to happen. Not now, not ever.

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**Who would've thought that a visit from the woman you'd been pining over for decades would be just what you needed to see what was right in front of you?? **

**All I can say is...bet you didn't see that coming there at the end! **

**Last chapter is up next and I promise not to keep you waiting forever for it!The title and lyrics used are from the song 'Bella Luna' by Jason Mraz. Fabulous song by the way.  
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**review, you know how much I love them!  
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	26. The Only Exception

**AN: I honestly can't believe that this is the last official chapter of this story. I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long! I do hope that it's worth it and you all enjoy it!**

**I just own Liz, but I'll gladly take Jasper (even if just this once). **

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****Chapter 26: The Only Exception**

**Liz**

You know those moments in life? The ones that you spend what feels like forever waiting for and the second they finally happen, it's like your life's complete?

I honestly thought that the second Jasper finally came to his senses and told me loved me too, I'd be in his arms as I eagerly began my happily ever after with him.

However, that's not what happened.

When those words left his mouth, my mind and heart were doing two very different things. While my heart was telling me yes he really did love me, my mind was screaming at me to run far away from him. That he was just saying that right now and could very well change in his mind tomorrow or even a few hours from now.

My mind beat my heart this time. The fear that struck me at the mere thought of always chasing him, but never full having him was almost unbearable. I couldn't do it, I refused to let my emotions and heart be tossed around like nothing, treated with kindness only when it was to Jasper's convenience.

Even when he kissed me and let those emotions of love and desire flow from him to me, I still wasn't fully convinced. He could've very well been faking those emotions for all I knew.

So I did what I had been watching Jasper do to me all this time.

I ran away from him.

I thought about running as far away from here as possible, but about two things stopped me.

For one, I wasn't about to abandon my daughter here all alone. And secondly, if I ran, it would make me a coward. I wasn't about to do or be either one.

So I didn't exactly run anywhere. Instead I went out a little bit from the house, but not too far out into the forest.

I stood there, staring off into nothing and trying to calm down when I felt someone behind me.

I didn't have to turn around to see who it was. I just knew.

That and the second that I was being hit with feelings of guilt, anger and irritation, I knew it could only be one person.

"I honestly hope you didn't slap be back there as some type of cruel joke Liz."

I scoffed, turning back around to look at him in disbelief. "There's nothing funny, Jasper."

"I never said there was."

"You treat everything like it's a game, even us. How am I supposed to know the difference? How am I supposed to know when you're being serious?"

He stepped closer. "Did you not hear what I said?"

I took one towards him. "Yes, but that doesn't mean anything."

"What the hell do you mean it doesn't mean anything? Isn't it what you've been waiting to hear from me Liz? To know that I feel the same way you do?"

"Of course, but how do I know you really mean it? From the sound of things, you were just saying it because you think I'm waiting for it. Yes, I want to desperately believe that you love me the way I love you, but I also refuse to chase after you forever. I can never keep up with you and you haven't let me fully into your life…I just don't know."

"I told you from the beginning that I didn't know if I could be that man you were looking for. You said you were okay with that as long as I tried. Did you not say that? Did you not say that as long as I tried, you'd be there?"

"You sometimes letting me in isn't exactly trying, Jasper. You either have to let me in all the way or kick me out for good. I can't handle going back and forth. It's not fair to me and you can call me selfish, but I don't really care. I can push all I want, but if you're not giving me anything back it's just always going to be this never ending cycle of pain and frustration. Is that what you want Jasper? You want me to push you for the rest of eternity? You want me to sit around and wait, never knowing how you'll treat me from one day to the next?"

"Of course I don't," his voice lowered, a guilt ridden tone reflected in it "I want you to be happy, I want _us _to be happy. I know it probably doesn't look like it, but I have been trying. I want us to work, Liz. I want you to believe in me and I want you to push me. I'm tired of pushing you away, I just want us to be together with no problems or fighting."

"Life isn't that simple, Jasper." I sighed. "Everyone has problems, but you need to get it through that thick head of yours that I'm not going anywhere."

"But you just said…" He seemed genuinely confused, and to be honest so was I. I could never keep my emotions and thoughts in check when I was around him. It was frustrating as hell, but it was just something else that I loved about him.

"Oh you idiot I know what I said," I closed the rest of the gap between us, placing my hand on his cheek "but do you honestly think I'm going to give up everything we've shared for the past few months? Yes it hasn't been easy, but I really feel like we're getting somewhere. I just…you keep messing with me and I don't know what to do with it sometimes. It's confusing and it hurts."

In a rather surprising move, he raised his hand and placed it over mine. "I don't _ever _want to hurt you again."

I felt my non beating heart swell with hope. Could it be that he had a breakthrough when he took off earlier? Was he really saying these things and actually mean them?

"I feel your confusion and hesitation."

"I'm…I'm just trying really hard to believe what you're telling me."

Lowering our hands, he kept them locked together. "Something happened to me while I was out. I don't really know how to explain it, but I realized a lot of things. Things that have been right in front of me all this time, but I've just been too stupid and foolish to notice them."

I silently waited for him to continue. "You're my second chance, Liz. My second chance and life and love. After I was changed, I all but forgot what it was like to have someone truly love and care the way that you do. When I first started feeling things for you, I wouldn't allow myself to act on those feelings. After everything that happened, I didn't want to go through that again. I couldn't allow myself to love you…not when I was so convinced that I could lose you at any moment."

Even though he was in the middle of this heartfelt, deep speech, I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.

"Why are you smiling?" He stopped, taking in my expression.

"Jasper, you're crazy you know that? Did you honestly think I was going to leave you? Even when you told me all those things, basically telling me you hated me? You think I stuck around for the hell of it?"

"You said you were staying for Lilly, for her to have a family."

"Yes, of course there is that, but a big part of it was because of you. As crazy as you drove me, I wasn't about to let you slip through my fingers. I knew I loved you even when I didn't really know you."

"But how?"

I shrugged. "Love doesn't exactly make sense. It's unpredictable and in some cases, painful. I know that you went through some great losses in your life. I knew that you could never fully belong to me until you finally broke free from Evelyn's memory. I know she was your first love and we never forget them, but there was no way in hell I was going to be able to fight with a ghost, Jasper. That part was all on you. It was up to you to move on and try and be happy again…and like I said, I was going to wait for you. I just…I just needed to need to know that we were on the same page from here on out. I couldn't have you coming in, throwing around the word love and not actually mean it."

He didn't say anything and the fear creeped up in my veins again. "You…_did _you mean it?"

After a minute, he was looking at me straight in the eye, golden eyes blazing with intensity.

He nodded slowly. "And it scares the shit out of me, Liz." He admitted softly.

Momentarily stunned by his comment, I dropped his hand and stared at him.

He took it the wrong way and was moving back from me before I knew it.

"What are you doing?" I laughed at him. He was always moving away from me when needed to be moving towards me.

"What is all this, Liz?" He allowed himself to come back to me. When I didn't understand, he allowed me to feel his emotions.

There was uncertainty, longing and underneath it all, happiness. Everything that Jasper hadn't felt in such a long time was suddenly hitting him and he didn't know what to do with it.

"That's us, Jasper. It's what I've been trying to tell you, trying to show you for months. It's okay for you to be scared, I'm scared too. I was afraid of being hurt again, but I looked past all that. We can have something good, if we just let it happen."

"Just risk everything?"

"It's what life's about, Jasper. If it was anyone else, I would've given up a long time ago. There's something about you, the connection between the two of us that I can't ignore, even if I wanted to."

"Am I," he seemed hesitant "am _I _worth that risk?"

I felt his self doubt and lack of worth. He didn't realize everything he was and all he meant to me.

I wound my arms around him. "You'll always be worth it."

I decided to take initiative this time and stood up on my toes and lightly pressed my lips to his. I pulled away, watching him, gauging his reaction.

He lifted an eyebrow, that sexy smirk tugging on his lips. "Is that all you got?"

Behind the smirk however, lay a genuine smile. I wasted no time and I kissed him again. Air, which I didn't even need, felt like it was being ripped from my lungs when he tangled his hands in my hair, pulling me even tighter against him.

Everything about him drove me crazy. His scent, the way his lips moved against mine and the way he got my body to react with just a few simple touches were only things Jasper could do, not anyone else.

Though I could stand here for hours, even days, kissing him I pulled away after some time. Still with his hands in my hair, he rested his forehead against mine.

I went for the ultimate test. "I love you, Jasper."

He tensed slightly, but he didn't release me. I closed my eyes and counted to ten before I chanced a look at him. He was staring down at me, his features tense, but his eyes soft. A look I don't think I've ever seen from him.

With a deep breath, he practically exhaled the words. "I love you, too. I think I've always loved you and I'm sorry for being a complete jackass about things."

I smiled. "Only you would say you love someone and then throw in some profane comment."

"Would you expect anything less?"

His grip tightened around me. He had me there. "No."

"Does this mean you believe me now?"

I nodded, excitement coursing all through my body.

"I can't promise you perfection, but damn it I'm going to try."

"I don't want perfection, I just want you. As long as you love me and promise me that you're not going to leave me…that's all I need."

"I'll promise that if you promise the same." There was truth in his words. He was still worried that I was going to leave him one day.

"I honestly don't think I could ever do that. I've invested too much time and effort to let it all go to waste. You're not getting rid of me, Jasper. Not…well, not ever."

"Good, because I need someone like you in my life."

I seriously felt like I had the biggest smile on my face when he said it. All this time, it was all I wanted. And now, it seemed like I finally had it.

We stood out back for another ten minutes or so before we started hearing other voices joining our somewhat intimate moment.

"They're all coming out here aren't they?" I peered over Jasper's shoulder, smiling when I saw everyone slowly coming out towards us.

"I think they were getting antsy in there."

We were greeted by a high pitched laugh first, followed by a pair of tiny arms being flung across Jasper and I.

It was Alice of course, a huge smile on her face as she looked at us.

"Thank God you two! Jesus Jasper, it took you this long to realize you loved her?"

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Alice." I nudged the pixie off of us, but she just waved her hand at us.

"You guys are perfect together. Our family's all complete now! Jasper loves her! Oh god, this is amazing!" She cried, clapping her hands and running back towards Luca and his awaiting arms.

"She's very excited about this." He looked down at me and I just shrugged. Who knew what Alice was thinking. In all honesty, I wanted to know if she had seen something happening between Jasper and I in the near future. Something that involved a white dress and some vows. Maybe it was too soon for that though. At some point, someday, I would love nothing more than to marry Jasper, to make everything official between us.

However, I was perfectly content with him being in love with me. With him just wanting to be with me, wanting to actually have a life with me.

I removed my arms from Jasper just as I was swept up in a massive hug from Emmett. When he set me down, he had the hugest smile on his face.

"What?"

"This means you're never leaving my sight little sister!" He grabbed my face in his hands, kissing my cheeks. "Aren't you glad I talked some sense into your man?"

If I could, I would've blushed. "Yea, thanks Emmett." I shook my head. "You're truly the best." Actually, he was. I could've never asked for a better brother.

A brother who I thought I had lost forever only to be reunited with so many years later, in circumstances I never thought possible. But, we had somehow found each other again and I couldn't be happier. Not many people in this world get the chance to see loved ones who they lost so many years ago.

He was my family. They were all my family in fact.

Even Edward.

I watched as he stood there with Bella, a slight smile on his face and for the first time I didn't feel any hatred towards him. Of course everything he did hadn't been completely forgotten, but I could at least look at him and not want to rip him apart now.

I didn't harbor any more hard feelings towards Bella either. She never had anything to do with what her husband did and she truly was a selfless and compassionate woman who loved him more than anything. All the things he put her through and yet she still stuck by him. If that wasn't devotion, I didn't know what was.

Like I said, love doesn't always make sense. Sometimes, it only makes sense to the two people it's shared between. I think that was the case with those two.

My eyes scanned over the rest of the people standing outside.

There was Carlisle and Esme, the people how I saw as my guiders in this life. The people who took me and my daughter in without so much as blinking. They welcomed me into their life and treated me like one of their own from day one.

There was Rosalie, my sister in law who truly loved my brother. She made him happy and she was an amazing woman who I considered one of my best friends.

There was Alice and Luca, who besides the two of them, I don't think anyone really understood those two. Mysterious and all seeing, they fit perfectly together. In a way, I owed a lot to Alice. Had she not had that vision of Jasper, he and I would've never met. Though it was painful in the beginning, things were finally working out. I don't think I could ever repay her. Though I'm sure she didn't see it that way.

Finally, my eyes landed on the little girl who was running towards Jasper and I.

My daughter.

The one thing in this life that has been my constant and my rock. Through it all, everything I've done has always been for her. All I've ever wanted was to protect her and keep her safe. Though her short life has been full of some scary times, she is still healthy and perfect and I will never love anyone more than I love my little girl.

"Mommy, Jasper!" She ran faster, excitement shining in her amber eyes. I kneeled down, my arms already ready to hug her when she crashed into them.

I loved the feeling her in my arms. As a mother, my main priority was to always keep her protected. With her in my arms, I knew she'd always be protected.

I kissed her forehead, holding her tightly.

"All better?" She pulled away, staring right back at me. I smiled, ticking her nose with mine as I let her see inside my mind for a few seconds. When I did, she clapped her hands in excitement. I swear, you'd think she and Alice were actually related. Those two were so similar in personality it was ridiculous.

"Love?" She asked and I nodded, looking up at Jasper. He was watching us with careful eyes, trying to get a read on our emotions. I was about to stand up when he kneeled down beside me, offering Lilly his hand.

"Yes Miss Lilly," He smiled at her "I love her."

"Love!" She beamed, her tiny arms encircling his neck as she buried her face in his hair. "I love you too!" I laughed. My daughter truly had a soft spot for Jasper.

I wasn't any better. I loved this man and I was always going to love him.

"I love you too, darlin'." He laid the charm on thick for Lilly, knowing she loved it. As I stood there and watched this exchange between Jasper and my daughter, I wondered if would now be a bigger part of her life, treat her like his daughter?

Almost like he could read my mind, he stood with Lilly still in his arms. "I love you both."

I didn't think anything could've topped that very moment. Jasper just having admitted to loving not only me, but my daughter too. In effect, we were becoming our own little family as of this very second. Of course we had the Cullens and they would always be my family, but this was different. This was something only between the three of us.

I knew Jasper would never take the place of Edward, but he was obviously going to be there for Lilly.

Stepping closer, he cupped my cheek with his free hand. "You're my fallen angel, Liz."

I bit my lip, not knowing whether to laugh or kiss him senseless. "Your what?"

"You're fallen because you're a vampire, obviously." He smirked, I rolled my eyes. "But you are definitely my angel. People like you don't come around very often and I'm extremely lucky to get a second chance with someone like you. You…you saved me. _My _angel."

I shook my head. "Saved each other is more like it." He opened his mouth to protest, but I pressed a finger to his lips. "Just give me this one alright?"

He gave in, kissing my fingertip before I pulled it away. "Don't think I'm going to go all soft on you now, Liz. I still have that dominant streak in me." His featured twisted into a sly grin.

"Not in front of my daughter." I moved, allowing him to wrap an arm around my shoulders. "And for the record, I wouldn't expect you to be any other way. I rather like it…sometimes."

He pulled my closer, kissing the top of my head. "That's what I thought."

We walked back towards the house and I couldn't fight back the smile that seemed to be permanently plastered on my face.

I walked by my brother, by Edward and felt at complete peace when I did so.

Things had officially fallen into place.

Jasper had called me his fallen angel, but I was no angel.

No, I was just a girl who fell in love with him.

A girl who wanted to give him a second chance at something he deserved and needed.

It may have taken him awhile to see it for himself, but I never gave up hope.

I never judged, I always accepted him from what he was.

Taking a chance on Jasper was perhaps the biggest risk I have ever taken in my life.

In the end though, was it worth it.

Glancing up at him and seeing the calm look on his face, I knew that it had all been worth it.

This is where I belonged, with him.

This is where he belonged, with me.

We weren't perfect, but then again, who was?

Broken and scarred.

From this moment on, all that mattered was the man I loved and the family I had been fortunate enough to find.

This was our second chance, and we were going to make the most of it.

* * *

**Was is what you hoped for? I'm a sucker for a happy ending and I think these two definitely deserved one. They are two character who I've loved from day one!**

**It's been one hell of a ride hasn't it? My only hope is that you have all enjoyed this story from the beginning. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story or simply read it. All the feedback has meant the world to me! This truly has been one of my favorite stories to write and I'm sad to see it go! **

**I'd love to know what you thought about the final chapter or the story in general. **

**There will be an epilogue...at some point. In the meantime, feel free to read my other stories if you'd like.  
**


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